Freedom United: (Vol 1)
by ImpishDude2100
Summary: Surviving in solitude for nearly all his life, Sonic must battle alongside his new friends called the Freedom Fighters to vanquish the deranged schemes of Dr. Ivo Robotnik: current supreme dictator in all of Mobius. They will come across unique allies, possibly enemies along the way. Mysteries start coming into action. Adventures become the visions they observe. Stay tuned...
1. Chapter 1

Beyond the heavens, many clouds down below began to reveal the true nature of Mobius.

A pristine world beyond space and time. It stood out alongside the deep blues of the oceans, the dark greens of the forests and plains, and the dull yellows of the deserts.

"_NOW APPROACHING ROBOTROPOLIS. ETA, THIRTY SECONDS."_

At a snail's pace, the whiteness from the clouds all around gave away into pitch brownness. Most of the air throughout the territory was overcome with everything that is carbon monoxide to particulate matter. Robotropolis was a city of fabrication, pure science, and varieties of technology.

In other words, a city of **_hell_**.

From out of the blue, a small vessel flies through the industrial-like city. Passing through tall buildings and poisonous fumes of smoke floating into the atmosphere, the vessel is being piloted by a Swat-Bot with only one passenger in the back.

"_FIVE SECONDS, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK."_

Hidden in the dark passenger seat was a bald human depicted with a bloated, egg-shaped body. Implying to be a male, he sported an oily brown mustache that grew out just under the long pink nose. While always seen wearing a pair of blue pince-nez glasses, the rest of his attire consists of a red jacket with golden wrist buttons and a yellow cape with triangular collars. Lastly, the human wore a pair of white gloves, black one-piece pants with two silver accents, and fasteners near the rim of his boots.

Some called this human a _madman_, a _monster_. They possibly even used both terms and especially the more unusual titles. In the end, he had only one valid name where all Mobians recognize as to what he calls himself.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

Breathing as the most _prominent _scientific genius in the world, Dr. Robotnik had begun assembling robots of warfare, motorized by most of the citizens themselves within a year. His reasons for all this prevailed as his own. The aristocrats were left to play as the source of Dr. Robotnik's money. The aristocrats of the upper class can either help finance or lose their land and privileges and risk being robotized. The citizens, meanwhile, have been robotized and become slaves.

From where he became accounted as now, he was the industrial dictator of Mobius.

The planet's _ruler_.

And its king as it immediately belongs into his hands. Stated from the Swat-Bot pilot, its master knew where he was. The smog, the sights, the sounds of progress, and the expansion of his empire. Dr. Robotnik was where he belonged.

"We're home, Cluck." said the supreme dictator as he patted his pet gleefully. "I do miss the beauty of this place when I'm away. Not to mention the lovely weather it is today."

Cluck was a mechanical pet bird of Robotnik's, always often found sitting on the chair or shoulder of its master. Giving Dr. Robotnik the kind of affirmation of presence he knew he became entitled to, the pet clucked in what amounted to affection. A large, egg-shaped structure in the central area of the city came into view as Dr. Robotnik soon breaks the silence.

"Commence landing procedure."

The vessel arrives at Dr. Robotnik's lair, landing on a platform. There was a short, yet structured and lean human man with pale skin, being in the size of most Mobians. His distinguishing feature is his long beak-like nose, pale blue eyes, and almost bald save for a few sparse hairs. The small man's attire consisted of a white lab coat with a green sweater-like shirt underneath, light green pants, a brown belt, and boots.

His name was Dr. Julian Snively.

Second in command of Robotropolis, but nothing except a domestic lackey in practice. Right now, he stood on the landing platform with dread as Robotnik's vessel descended. The short human was blasted with the ship's exhaust, messing up what little hair he had. Snively was examining his hair but then jolts from the craft deploying a ramp to the stage floor.

Dr. Robotnik appears before the short man and leaves his vessel upon the ramp.

"Good morning, Sire," Snively uttered as he watched Dr. Robotnik descend, his robotic pet chicken in hand. "Exciting trip?"

"Perhaps, Snively," the bloated tyrant grunted, barely giving his subordinate a second glance before walking past Snively with Cluck.

Snively nods at Dr. Robotnik as he approaches the entrance to his lair, with Snively timidly behind him, guarded by two Swat-Bots.

"_Well, it could be worse. That clown could have called me a twerp instead._" Snively pondered before noticing Cluck again.

Cluck was looking at the short human disapprovingly, causing him to bring out a remote and make Cluck's right eye spring out. With a smile of pleasure, Snively presses the remote again, returning it to normal.

"Well, what is it, Cluck?" Dr. Robotnik fussed over his pet as it clucked in protest. "Does he need another head adjustment?"

The evil doctor takes Cluck and starts rotating its head, receiving a response of joy. Dr. Robotnik continues as he treks to the entrance, with the Swat-Bots acknowledging him as he passed by with the door opening. Snively soon follows, conceding to the Swat-Bots, but the door closes on his face and knocks him back.

The Swat-Bots got brought into hilarity, but when Snively sharply brings out the remote again, they regress to their guard state once more. Dr. Robotnik wasn't concerned that Cluck was continuing to mock at the short man following him across the control room.

Dr. Robotnik walked into his control room with a giant monitor on the wall and smaller ones surrounding it. In the middle of the area, there was a large chair with a keyboard attached to it. It was the supreme dictator's control of this base. As Dr. Robotnik sat down in his control chair, suited for his size and weight, his sinister gaze sets upon Snively.

"So, tell me, Snively," Dr. Robotnik began, "Any news about the Chaos Energy signatures we've been tracking so endlessly?"

Snively had both his arms behind him, his chest puffed up, but the expression was skittish.

"N-Not exactly, Dr. Robotnik," he answers timidly, before soon noticing Dr. Robotnik crossing his arms.

"What do you mean, _not exactly_? Either there _is_, or there _isn't_."

"Well, I...you see, I...but I...err.." Snively became mixed with his words before Dr. Robotnik ignored him.

"Stop wasting my time with your meaningless blabbering, Snively!" Dr. Robotnik interrupted before jabbing a thumb behind him. "Unless you don't want to become thrown out on the scrapheap, I suggest you use your words _wisely_, now."

Dr. Robotnik found Snively to be quite pathetic.

He was the most powerful human on Mobius. And here, the tyrant had the weakest human before him who tried to fill his shoes while he was away. Although granted, they were the only two humans that every Mobian should know, Dr. Robotnik still wished that he should have him put down like a mere animal. The power-hungry human then leans up in front of the short human, both of their heads against each other.

"Understood?" asked Dr. Robotnik.

"Perfectly, Uncle Ivo!" Snively answers timidly.

"I think you know better than _that_, Snively." Dr. Robotnik growled more.

"I-I mean, sir! Yes, sir?"

Dr. Robotnik's frown then folds up into an ominous smile. "Good boy. Now, answer my first question _correctly_."

"I-I suppose, you should see it yourself, sir," Snively said, twiddling with both his fingers.

"Alright then..."

Snively shivered slightly at how his uncle's dark and soothing voice oozed. Just as the bloated man pulls his face away from the shorter man, his gaze sets onto the giant monitor.

"Computer! Bring up the map immediately!" Dr. Robotnik ordered, receiving a bing sound.

{**_ACCESSING MAP ENTRY, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK..._**}

The giant screen in front of Dr. Robotnik and Snively activates, showing a map of various islands that existed on Mobius.

_Eastwatch Island - _❌

_Seaside Island - _❌

_Westside Island - _❌

_North Island - _❌

_South Island - _✔

Dr. Robotnik grimaced at this result. "Hmm..."

For the most time, the supreme dictator has spent days and months trying to track down these legendary yet substantial jewels. Each Chaos Emerald comes in different colors, such as the following.

**Red - ❌**

**Orange - ❌**

**Yellow - ❌**

**Green - ❌**

**Blue - ❌**

**Purple - ❌**

**Grey - ❌**

They were believably inactive within misconceptions created on South Island, the island that moves around on the sea. Nobody knew how to obtain them, except the evil doctor was going to search for a way _possible_. It was solely for the _absolute _power they owned.

"I don't understand." Dr. Robotnik grunted. "I have already been attaining vast sums of Chaos Energy in this section. So why is it that I can't find any of the Chaos Emeralds?" He slammed his fist down on the arm of the chair, causing Cluck to flutter off.

"If I may, Sire! We still have yet to search all over South Island personally," Snively nervously tugs on the neck of his shirt and continues to explain the best he can. "O-Or yet to take over any part of it either. South Island may have all the Chaos Emeralds and is just to be radiating the Chaos Energy to the other islands."

With that finished, Dr. Robotnik placed a hand on his chin and began to ponder Snively's information carefully.

"Hmm, that is _possible_." Dr. Robotnik said. "Very well, Snively. I'll head to South Island and search for the Emeralds."

"Badniks have previously been engaged on the island, sir," the small human mentions. "However, most of the quantities have been decreasing!"

Dr. Robotnik couldn't help but blink at this. "What?"

Snively knew what was bound to come next by the time two of his uncle's devilish-like eyes blazed with so much contempt, clenching both of his fists.

"WHO DARE IS TRYING TO CROSS MY PATH, SNIVELY!? I want to know who _exactly _is ruining all _my _plans for _my _empire! Is it those accursed little Freedom Fighters again?" Dr. Robotnik roared, his face crimsoned with anger.

"EEP!" Snively gave a small shriek before watching the bloated human calm himself down.

During his master-planned sovereignty, the evil dictator became opposed to a by a small organization called the Freedom Fighters, operating outside the secluded Knothole Village that became the group's base of operation.

Located in Great Forest Zone, they were Mobians who lived outside Dr. Robotnik's control and aversed him at every turn. Dr. Robotnik had no recollection of how or where Knothole came to be, making it seem as flies were to an elephant. Nonetheless, they have become the thorn in his side, sinking further and deeper into his flesh, becoming buried indefinitely. Even if one road led to the thorn getting removed, more would soon come back at him.

"I'm afraid not, Dr. Robotnik. Most of the accompanied Freedom Fighters have already gotten captured and utilized for our Super Badnik Horde." Snively answers sheepishly, continuing, "Particularly Princess Sally Acorn, the chief leader of the Freedom Fighters. We tried to detect if she had been carrying around any of the Chaos Emeralds, but unfortunately, we didn't find a single reading from her."

Dr. Robotnik knew he should be proud enough for this day. Finally, obtaining the upper hand against those Mobian filths that should have exterminated many years ago. But something was still wrong.

"Well, what about the reduction of my Badniks then? Who do _you _consider is creating all of this misfortune of mine if not Princess Sally Acorn and her Freedom Fighters?" asked Dr. Robotnik, scowling down at Snively, who cleared his throat restlessly.

"Well, sir. We do still have most of our Buzz-Bombers out patrolling each territory. Plus, we also have included security cameras in each database-!"

"Well, did you think I stuttered about wanting answers?! GET ME THAT FOOTAGE, RIGHT NOW!" Dr. Robotnik interrupts Snively, who scarcely proceeds to do as his master has ordered.

Snively is working furiously before posting a file on the giant monitor, revealing live footage of five different mass-produced Buzz-Bombers. Most of the Badniks on the footage are zipping around several places, densely attending high or low points.

Dr. Robotnik looks closely at the monitor from his seat until...

***SMASH***

***BONK***

***SCHZZ***

...what seems to be a blue blur, destroying most of Dr. Robotnik's Badniks at _incredible _speed.

Each time the blur moves, all five cameras of the Buzz-Bombers flickered, changing into static permanently. Dr. Robotnik kept his face even-tempered and retreated behind his walls, though he couldn't help but feel the growing tension in his stomach. There was something about the blue blur on the screen that kept throwing recaps at his face.

"Whatever this _thing _is, it's certainly going to be in the way for Robotropolis' future doings." Snively finishes, noticing the way his master was staring at the screen.

Dr. Robotnik couldn't help but tilt his head at the blue blur on the footage until his lips curling into a full smirk.

"Should I send the Egg-O-Matic with you to go there, sir?" asked Snively.

"Yes, Snively," Dr. Robotnik said, standing up from his chair before walking down in front of the giant monitor. "Computer, enter in coordinates to Green Hill Zone, and send me the location for one of the capsules there!"

{**_PROCESSING COORDINATES, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK..._**}

The computer brought South Island's coordinates into view on one of the other monitors, where Green Hill Zone remains located within the piece of land surrounded by water. The evil doctor's face glimmered in its brightness, almost appearing to be grinning viciously despite Snively's unglued expression of what Dr. Robotnik was thinking.

"_It must be that guardian of South Island. Whoever this being is, I look forward to fighting it, as I did with that royal brat's father all those years ago._"

* * *

South Island remained a land draped in so much mystery. Upon first glance, this island seems the same as all others on Mobius.

Right now, today was like any perfect day at the lush, sunny Green Hill Zone. Located on South Island, beautifully surrounded by grassy plains with lakes and waterfalls. Beautiful birds snag a small but heart-warming song that would have a sense of joyful harmony.

On this beautiful day, everything was at peace. If anybody had ever experienced this glorious view, they would never change it even for control of existence itself. Just then, a blue streak came speeding right through the checkered brown soil, leaving a glowing zig-zag trail along the pathway.

Passing the large waterfall vistas, palm trees, and rotating flowers. With a blurry color of the wild azure skies as light shines on its body, it was a spiky male hedgehog.

The boy's hair included short spiny quills from behind his head, with two extruding from his back and a short tail. While most of his body had blue fur, his muzzle, arms, and torso had a peach color. Meanwhile, his eyes had green irises as they kept their focus on the pathway. Finally, his attire sported a brown neckerchief, white gloves, red sneakers with white straps, cuffs, and gold buckles on each side. The boy had been given titles alongside his grandest of journeys through peace and serenity.

The Fastest Thing Alive.

The Speed Demon.

The Blue Blur.

Sonic the Hedgehog.

The boy was an adventurous free spirit. He loved _freedom_. It was one heck of a concept, an idea that he has always held close to his heart. But he had only one thing he loved more than that, and it was _running_. The speedy hedgehog was quick and lived most of his life on South Island. After all, he had no parents. It never really bothered him, because he never had any.

Well, at least in his memory. Most of those memories particularly long in the past. Not to mention Sonic's past life as a young boy, living in Mobotropolis that he despises so much. Reason for being, Sonic wanted nothing to do but run around the city of Mobotropolis. He just wanted excitements and adventure, not mind-numbing routines.

He believed that reality was just too irrelevant, and running was life in its most beautiful state. However, some Mobians didn't think the way he did. He was different amongst those who've not only been parentless but talented with _great_ power. His speed was unnatural and scarcely indestructible.

And in truth, the Mobians _hated _him for it.

With parents rarely letting their children around him and deemed to be a bad influence, Sonic did not care. Causing mayhem in the streets, Sonic didn't even know how to react to the damage he has caused. But anybody like Sonic would endure that pain for so long and probably turn his heart around into something _bitter_.

It became one of those days when the citizens had enough, yelling and screeching at him like he was a pariah. They would throw tomatoes at him to leave, but they've forgotten that Sonic was a lonely child who lived with his most respectful uncle in the world.

During all that, it was the moment when he met the strangest person in his life, an actual human being that wanted to be _his _friend. Sonic couldn't remember the full details of what happened, but he didn't mind about it as he continues to ponder something else.

Something more _family _mattered.

* * *

_An older hedgehog was __shown busy creating a way for the younger Sonic to escape. __He had a thick, grey mustache that obscures his mouth, as well as similarly thick, grey eyebrows, arching over his blue eyes. __Most of his attire sported white gloves with maroon, yellow, and white sneakers._

_Sir Charles the Hedgehog, who often got called Uncle Chuck, was known to be a respected and brilliant scientist. He was the uncle of Sonic the Hedgehog. _

_From what Sonic could describe him by, Charles became recognized as a loving and caring person to Sonic. Sir Charles built the Robotizer to help the elderly live longer. _

_However, he found out that the project didn't only change them. It took away their free will. _

_So, he destroyed it, or so he thought. _

_Somebody within the city enjoyed the impression of beings with no freedom of their own as robots and hoped to use them as their slaves. _

_That somebody happened to be a human._

_"You must get away from here, Sonny Boy. Take the Tornado with you and make your way out of the city," said Sir Charles hastily._

_"B-But Uncle Chuck, I don't wanna lose you too!" said Sonic, almost sobbing._

_"__I know, but one day when all this madness is over, I will come and find you. I promise." Sir Charles reassures Sonic, who nodded sadly._

_"O-Okay..." Sonic wipes his eyes with a sniff, not knowing whether his uncle might be lying or not._

_"In the meantime, you must stay safe and let your speed guide you through." Sir Charles said, smiling dolefully._

_"I-I will, one day," Sonic puts on a brave face. "I'll get you back, Uncle Chuck, I promise."_

_Sonic races out of the lab just as Swat-Bots came trooping in, all loading their guns to aim at Sir Charles._

_"PROFESSOR CHARLES THE HEDGEHOG, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY THE ORDER OF DOCTOR ROBOTNIK. SURRENDER NOW OR BECOME TERMINATED."_

_Sir Charles sighed before placing his hands up. "Go ahead and take me, but when you take me to that despicable human being, I'll tell him a thing or two."_

_The Swat-Bots guide him to the aircraft carrier and begin to head to the palace._

_The human stole the plans for the machine from Sir Charles to use in the conquest of Mobius, with Charles the first to be exposed to a fate worse than death._

_Robotization._

_All body parts became converted into machine-driven counterparts, with Mobius' free will now on a leash by the human who claimed responsibility for Sonic's childhood disaster. _

_It became thankful enough that Sonic was able to search and find where his father's biplane had remained. Sonic always had been extraordinarily quick to learn new skills in operating vehicles, especially when it comes to driving and racing at high speeds. _

_The young hedgehog fired up the engine until he was able to make it through the skies._

_Unfortunately, thanks to air pollution invigorating all over Mobotropolis, it darkened the clouds above the ocean to intensify a brewing storm. Becoming much graver for Sonic, strokes of lightning bolts within the dense clouds came and delivered a sudden blow upon one of the Tornado's wings. _

_The young hedgehog had struggled to stay unstable on the weakened biplane but was of no use._

_The Tornado wasn't responding._

_Sonic tried jumping out but got into a struggle with unbuckling his seatbelt. It clicked at the moment before another lightning bold came to a violent shock in Sonic. He accidentally fell off the biplane down into a chaotic, deafeningly loud, ocean of mangled waves, whereas the Tornado landed across an area until finally coming to a brutal collision. _

_The young hedgehog got swallowed by the inky black abyss of the underwater world, yowling for Uncle Chuck and reaching out for something. Fear kept Sonic clawing in the water, making his heart thump loudly in his chest and leaving him feeling helpless and lost._

_Out of nowhere, more waves soared overhead as they smashed the young hedgehog down deeper. Having the last thought to have somehow recognized a shadowy figure wavering beyond, Sonic felt too weak and defeated to comprehend anything else until his whole world became black._

_At first, Sonic had thought about all of this becoming the very end of his life. That he will never see or rescue his Uncle Chuck after the city's invasion, having everything that has happened to him in being his guilt. Fortunately enough, it was not even close to the end from when Sonic met the one who saved him from his near-drowning conclusion._

_Her name was Longclaw. From all that became learned about Longclaw, she was the last of a noble line of warrior Mobian owls dedicated to maintaining balance for all living creatures on Mobius. A world where Mobians of all sorts had evolved to become the dominant species on the planet._

_A world ruled by claw and fang._

_Longclaw had lavender feathers while the tip of her tail has mottled brown and white, whereas her face and torso area remains white with a black beak. Longclaw's eyes were blue with glossy eyelids and held two feathers coming from behind her ear-tufts. Her attire wore golden armor around her torso, and white gloves along with gold cuffs, including her shoes._

_For times of being outfitted in blades and battle armor, Longclaw's order had struggled for years alongside other Mobians to protect their region from the distrustful nature of the ones called the humans. At first, Sonic was more so distant from her after the time she had saved him. But by the time Sonic began to know her, the old owl was less a radical warrior and more a wise mother to him._

_Longclaw was the only one left who had cared for Sonic after she took him into hiding on a remote island where the Tornado crash-landed. There he could run free and be something close to a normal kid, and it did take quite some time to repair the damages that the Tornado had endured. But of course, there was danger there, too. Longclaw had warned him about what humans were capable of doing, and assuredly enough, it did cost him in extreme measures by fate._

_There was a burst of wind stirring through the old hut Sonic and Longclaw shared for these last few years. __While Longclaw had been busy meditating throughout the day, she instinctively reached for the grip of her ancient clawed-staff._

_Her arms twitched as she called, "Who goes there?"_

_Ha, no need to be a worrywart! It is just me, Longclaw!" Sonic smiled, darting out from under the sheets. He had just singled the hut with an immense amount of wind._

_"Sonic!" Longclaw called with a scowl, leaning on her clawed-staff for support. "You can't go bouncing across the island like that! Someone could have seen you."_

_"Pssh, no way anyone would have seen me, I'm too fast!" Sonic dismissed with his same boisterous attitude, bringing along a smile afterward. "And anyway, I wanted to bring you this."_

_He lifted a sunflower, radiant and delicate. They grew on the far side of the island. The one that pointed back to the rest of the world. Although Longclaw was still agitated with Sonic for disobeying her rules, she did, however, welcomed Sonic's little gift to her._ _The wise owl took the blossom in her gloved hands and touched it gingerly._

_"Ah..." Longclaw smiled, feeling __endeared as her left hand began to ruffle on the boy's hair, making him embarrassed._

_"H-Hey, no fair!" Sonic frowned, pouting for being treated like a child._

_"That is for not obeying me, you little fuzzball, and this…" Longclaw trailed off as she picked up Sonic, making him look like he was flying while he laughed, "...is for the gift."_

_Then her eyes snapped into focus. She heard something._

_Sonic seemed quick enough to notice and asked, "Longclaw, what's wrong-?"_

_"GET DOWN!" Longclaw shouted and wrapped Sonic in her arms. __She quickly kicked her door shut while putting herself and Sonic onto the ground._

***BANG-BANG-BANG***

_A flash of bullets sped through the windows and embedded themselves in the hut's weak walls. A split second later, Longclaw blasted through the roof with Sonic held securely in her arms. On the edges of his vision, the young hedgehog could see fourteen shadowy figures who had fired those strange-looking weapons everywhere. Most of the things these strangers said had begun to confuse Sonic while he was still a child, something like:_

_"I told you we'd find these Mobian freaks here!"_

_"Mobian scum doesn't belong on Earth!"_

_"Come on, shoot them down! We'll make the big loot for some goods to sell!"_

_They looked coarse, vicious for the way they acted just now. And the outfits they all wore showed the avarice of the human race. These humans were poachers. They wanted to hunt down every last Mobian on the planet and sell them disgustingly to make glue. And by visiting the far side of the Mobius region where most Mobians can get spotted, Sonic had led them right to his home._

_The poachers swarmed everywhere around the hut, holding nets and weapons to attack the two Mobians. Longclaw's clawed-staff clutched firmly in her other hand. She sprang down to the wooden bridges and took the legs from underneath one poacher, who crashed down below. _

_Another poacher came with the machete to slash at Longclaw. She spin-kicked the broad blade out of his hands and struck him in the jaw with her clawed-staff. Two more men tried to jump Longclaw and Sonic from behind. She answered to both of them with her spinning clawed-staff to each chin._

_Then she whirled around and flung the two men through the windows of the hut where they had attacked the two Mobians. As Longclaw started jumping through the growth of trees with Sonic in her other arm, several more poachers advanced dark trails across the face of the island like black veins. _

_The Tornado didn't become an option because it still wasn't fixed, unfortunately, as Sonic didn't know what else there could be for them to escape. There was no freedom from the poachers, or the shots fired into the air after Longclaw and Sonic._

***BANG***

_"Arrrgggh!" Longclaw cried as jumping ceased, both she and Sonic crashed to the forest ground._

_Sonic rose to his feet, but she stumbled again. The poachers would be on them at any moment, but all he could think about was the bloodsoaked wound he saw on Longclaw, where the bullet bit deep into her side._

_"Longclaw, you're b-bleeding!" Sonic said, witnessing blood coming out Longclaw's bullet wound._

_"I know, I know. Listen carefully, Sonic," Longclaw coughed as she limped to his side._

_Sonic kept looking at her worried._

_"Your speed is unlike anything I've ever seen. And that means anybody will always want something from you or solely to destroy you. The only way to be safe from either one is to stay hidden. And you'll have to do it without me."_

_"N-NO!" Sonic shouted with disapproval, still remembering the sting of tears in his eyes when he lost Uncle Chuck back in Mobotropolis. "I don't want to go without you, Longclaw! Why are you doing this?"_

_"Because it is too late for me, Sonic. You don't want to live only to harm others, do you? You are meant for more than what you mean now," Longclaw said with tears in her eyes like she had a thousand times before. "I may not know why this ability has come to you in the first place. But I believe it is something far greater than becoming a tool in someone else's game."_

_He then grits his teeth in sadness as he cried, "No, we're leaving! Both of us are getting out of here. Together."_

_Longclaw persisted, "Sonic, please. You need to think about the-"_

_But Sonic interrupts once more, "Stop! Stop, okay? I'm not leaving anybody, so just shut up. That's that."_

_As Longclaw stared with eyes widened in shock and fear for Sonic's safety from the human poachers, despite his stubbornness, "Listen to me, Sonic-"_

_"THERE THEY ARE!" One poacher screamed as Longclaw saw the origin of the voice. She gasped at seeing that the entire crew was getting closer._

_There wasn't much time._

_When an idea appeared, Longclaw then looks at Sonic with a forced smile, "Listen to me, Sonic. What I need you to do is carry me as best as you can. Then close your eyes and count to ten while you run as fast as you could! I'm going to use my Warp Ring to somewhere secret and safe. Promise me that you'll never stop running. Do you think you could do that for me?"_

_Longclaw once taught him how the Warp Rings worked, but Longclaw always warned Sonic that their powers were finite. He could hold one in his hands, imagine a place he wanted to travel, and the ring would expand to warp him where he wanted to go._

_Sonic rose one of his brows for a second before nodding hesitantly, "Yeah! I can do that, Longclaw! We'll be out of here before you know it. I promise."_

_Once Sonic got into a racing position where Longclaw held onto the young hedgehog, he began to shut his eyes tightly and count from ten as he runs._

_"Nine...Eight...Seven..."_

_Longclaw noticed Sonic's speed beginning to increase until she picked her golden ring out of the brown bag. She tosses it afar until the Warp Ring expanded itself to make a portal to another location._

_"...Six...Five...Four..."_

_Longclaw and Sonic were making their way toward the portal. However, Longclaw bounced off from the younger hedgehog once he enters through the Warp Ring._

_"...Three...Two...One! We did it, Longclaw! We did...it...?"_

_The minute Sonic opened his eyes with delight, his face soon turned into horror, checking behind to see that Longclaw nor the Warp Ring was not with him anymore._

_"L-Longclaw?" Sonic called._

_No answer came whatsoever as he peered around the forest, noting it was night time. Sonic couldn't believe this was happening. In the space of a few minutes, his life had become changed forever. _

_His family was now gone. _

_Sonic shook his head, feeling like it was his fault. __If he hadn't insisted on being so reckless, if he had just obeyed Longclaw's instructions, she would still be alive._

_The young hedgehog began to wheeze until he collapsed to his knees, and for the first time since he was a baby, he began to cry. Sonic wailed so loud that a fountain of tears started flooding their way down his cheeks._

* * *

Skidding with his shoes against the soil, Sonic then stops at the edge of a lake to witness this glorious view of the zone. Here Green Hill Zone was a place of brightly mixed colored flora, towering totem poles of unknown origin, and delicate plant life. But just beyond the zone was the vast mountain paradise.

Sonic sniffs the fresh air longingly before exhaling out. "Ah~! It's nice to see some new greenery around here instead of hanging inside that crummy tree shack."

With little deviation, Sonic walked right over and sat under one of Green Hill's various palm trees. "Man, I deserve a break myself."

***GURGLE***

He suddenly felt his stomach grumble with hunger, patting his tummy. "And some full-packed grub in my gut. Besides, little does anyone know nothing can top against chilidogs!"

The speedy hedgehog quickly whipped out a hot dog served in a bun and topped with meat sauce, cheese, and onions. Sonic wagged his tail with drooling crave as he took a bite of the chilidog he had with him until later, devouring it in seconds.

***BELCH***

A burp came from the blue hedgehog, smiling lazily and patted his full belly. Sonic continued to lay prone on the grass, his legs dangling off the front. His feet were sore from a hard day's running, and he needed a bit of relaxation before he returned home for the day. The sun was well above the horizon, slightly uncovered by a thin veil of very high clouds, higher than any Mobian, even Sonic himself could ever hope to reach or manipulate.

Looking at the view around him, Sonic wondered why he had _ever _stopped.

"_Life's no fun without a little adventure, but even I need a break once and in a while. Still…nothing can beat the thrill of adventure. It's a pretty great way to kill time, but I prefer to explore and relax._" Sonic muses to himself.

It had been such a long time since he had taken upon himself throughout his life, and he trained ever so hard for it to work that way.

Whatever comes and goes, he'd be there in a flash.

"_I always knew I was the fastest, but I still felt the need to break my records than I am already successful at doing._"

As Sonic craned his head upwards, he could see the imagination of each cloud's shape, but most of them were somewhat shrouded.

Sighing slightly, he flexed his limbs experimentally. They were pretty relaxed and stiff now.

"_Of course, I've been craving for relaxation and exploration at the same time now. I know I wanted to relax, but I also want to see new places and probably meet new people._"

After all, Sonic was always excited about exploring the world, visiting different places, and trying various things. Sure, he'd never been far from his tree shack, and he couldn't wait to see more of Mobius. Though, _something _was currently replaying in his mind.

"Man, I still can't get those images out of my head." Sonic sits up, waving his arms around before crossing them against him. "It's confusing me...as to why all those little critters are inside these killing machines...?"

Before Sonic could ponder on about this situation of his, he heard a motor turning on.

***VRRM-VRRM***

Looking to his right, he saw what seemed to be three ladybug-type Badniks. These models were called the Moto-Bugs, and they were coming straight for him.

"Whoa, now!" Sonic shouted aloud.

With enough instinct, the blue hedgehog somersaulted and ran away from the Moto-Bugs but allowed them to catch up.

"Hehe, you guys sure are fast!" Sonic snickered, blowing a raspberry in their faces.

He had a burst of confidence. "But let's see you dodge _this_!"

Sonic then rolled into a speedy ball and drove straight into one Moto-Bug, allowing a small bird known to flutter out. The blue hedgehog felt dizzy with excitement before noticing the critter flying off.

"And here we go again! What's with the whole critter-n-robot thing going on around here? How did they even get...?" Sonic trailed off before having a sudden realization. "First, it was Mobian citizens and now woodland critters? Now, that's just low!"

The spiky hedgehog jumped out of his ball form and zipped to one of the other Moto-Bugs.

"WANTED FOR ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES AGAINST THE ROBOTNIK EMPIRE. SEIZE PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG," said the Moto-Bug.

Sonic jumped and sat on Badnik, grabbing its antennas. "Yeehaw! Get along little dumb-bots!"

He tilted them right, which causes the Moto-Bug to drive towards the other one. Sonic somersaulted again and landed safely onto the grassy ground right after the two Moto-Bugs impacted and exploded. It allowed a rabbit and another bird to escape safely.

"Three points for Sonic the Hedgehog!" he cheered, making a bow to the fake audience. "Thank you. Thank you-!"

***PEW-PEW***

"YIKES!" The blue speedster jolts back into surprise when he saw lasers almost hit him, "Where did that...?"

***BZZZ***

Sonic then heard the sounds of buzzing and a jet engine. Peering over the shore, he saw a horde of bee-based Badniks. These models were called the Buzz-Bombers, and following behind them was a small flying metal containment unit.

"This just gets things interesting..." Sonic muttered under his breath.

The Buzz-Bombers quickly detected Sonic's presence and dived towards him. The cavalry charge causes Sonic to unleash a bolt right through them, freeing the birds and rabbits inside them.

"Hahahaha!" Sonic laughed as he couldn't help but feel the acceleration. "Come and get me, you wax-droppers!"

The spiky speedster then dashes away, with the rest of the horde giving him a chase. They began firing their rail detonators at their blue target, who kept sprinting and side-stepping out of the way. Once they came up to a loop structure, Sonic smirks as he ran halfway up on it before jumping into his ball form, smashing through the Buzz-Bombers and freeing the critters inside.

Only a few were left over as all of them open fire on the blue hedgehog. Sonic leaped again high into the air within his ball form. Blue energy swirled around him, and Sonic shot back at the bee-based Badniks like he had gotten fired from a cannon. He impacted one of the Buzz-Bombers, sending it flying through the wall of a checkered soil. The others turned to fire, but he had vanished.

"SEARCH FOR PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG," stated a Buzz-Bomber.

One of them hovered to the spot where Sonic had beaten its comrade and found a small burrow in the ground. Before the Buzz-Bomber could warn its leftover horde, a blue blur flew out of the hole, still curled up, and smashed into its head.

Sonic blows a raspberry at the Buzz-Bombers from the remaining horde. "Here I am, slug-heads. Give me your best shot!"

The blue hedgehog didn't wait for the Buzz-Bomber to drop as he charged for the others. Three of the bee-based models had come together and fired at Sonic. Quickly, Sonic curled into a ball again and sped forward to avoid their rail detonators. Sonic had stopped in the center of the group and uncurled. The speedy hero lashed out with lightning-speed punches and kicks.

He had destroyed the three Buzz-Bombers in less than a minute. The leader of the horde called in the last four of its remaining numbers who were still alive. They surrounded the blue hedgehog while their rail detonators continue to aim at him.

Sonic looked around at the damaged area. "Social visit?"

Just then, Sonic curled into a ball and began to spin in place like a buzz saw. Smoke started to flow from where he came in contact with the grass. The four other Buzz-Bombers seemed to be memorized by the strange sight.

"SEIZE THE HEDGEHOG." Snapped out of daze by the leader's order, they fired their rail detonators.

Before the darts could reach their target, Sonic shot forward with blue light trailing behind him. He slammed into the four Badniks like a blue pinball and sent each of them flying, then obliterated onto the ground. Sonic continued charging at the last Buzz-Bomber, who recoiled to avoid him. Sonic stopped and stood up a few feet away from the bee-based robot.

The Buzz-Bomber tried to fire its rail detonator, only to have been sliced in half along with its body, finished off in the process. Unbeknown to the speedy hero, however, a robotic beeping sound came from underneath of a large palm tree, eyes observing through the canopy of the palm trees to the grassy fields that rested on the side of Green Hill Zone.

"PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG IS DISPUTING THE BUZZ-BOMBER HORDE, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK." a robotic voice stated.

Dr. Robotnik's Fly-Bot was floating outside from the palm trees, followed by a digital sound from the mad genius wondering audibly with a dark chuckle.

[_Hehehehe! We'll just see about that..._]

Rolling out from his ball form, Sonic eventually skipped up to his feet and checks around the place for any more of those robots.

"Hmm, there still has to be other robots around here somewhere. I mean, I'm glad for the brief workout and stuff, but who the heck made these things?" Sonic asked himself as he puts a hand to his chin, tapping his foot.

The zone was usually referred to as its very own tranquility, with small birds flying around and songs filling the air.

"This is mondo strange. There's got to be a clue around here that explains what's going on around here," said Sonic, walking towards a clear pathway.

But instead, Sonic hears a noise in which he follows it towards a flat field with palm trees.

"Where's that sound coming from?" Sonic asked himself, his eyes scrolled through the surrounding area.

Something wasn't quite right.

The critters became absent as it sets their fur or feathers on edge. Well, as much as it could, considering they were scared to death twenty-four seven. A clear breeze lingered in the air. It was subtle, though, especially with the capsule next to the palm trees. But not only just that, Sonic's eyes quickly spotted what appears to be an abandoned wooden bow that became used for archery. He went to go pick up the ranged weapon while inspecting how beautifully detailed it seemed.

"What's this doing here?" Sonic asks, rubbing his head with a finger.

***CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP***

"Huh? Who's there?" Sonic shouted aloud, blinking in confusion while hearing somebody clap.

"Ohohohoho! Bravo! Bravo! An extraordinary performance." A voice called aloud somewhere out of Sonic's sight. "I will admit it was quite fun to watch..."

The speedy hedgehog raised an eyebrow before looking up to see what it was. It was a hovercraft with a very distinctive egg-like shape, floating down to reveal itself as none other than Dr. Robotnik.

"...but it ends here and now, _rodent_."

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	2. Chapter 2

For the time being, Sonic kept his composure for a little while Dr. Robotnik emerged into the speedy hero's view. The Egg-O-Matic's features show hazard stripes on the sides, a circular black hemispheric base, impulse rocket engines on the back, and a small circular front lamp. The bloated human sat before the control system of the cockpit, together with a windshield, preventing any wind from blowing.

Inside the hovercraft, the evil doctor had his arms crossed before looking around to see the damage this guardian has caused. A mere blue hedgehog destroyed his entire horde of Badniks.

"Hmm, it appears that your little quarrel against my Badniks has reached an impasse. I must say, I would appreciate it more if you'd leave them be unbroken next time." Dr. Robotnik said to Sonic, who most likely tapped his foot.

"And you are?" Sonic asked, looking a bit bored.

"Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and I just so happen to have come by to pick up a capsule of mine," replied Dr. Robotnik, grinning like its no big deal.

"Pfft, Robotnik? Oh, please, spare me the laughter! With a name like that, my better word for it is that you should rename yourself as Eggman!" Sonic smirked, placing his hands behind his back.

The rotund human's smile soon faltered into a scowl, "What are you talking about? I am Dr. Robot-!"

But Sonic interrupts this time with another nickname, "Or maybe Ro-Butt-Nik is another one too! Anyway, if you're done acting so wishy-washy, I'm going to find where this bow belongs to-!"

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Robotnik growled with a nefarious grumble in his tone. "Listen here, you annoying little rodent, you have been dismantling my Badnik Horde all over the island! I tried to play nice with the likes of you, but it seems you have nothing but hostile mannerisms towards your ruler! You miserable Freedom Fighters never learn when to stop fighting against my control!"

Sonic held two fingers up, "Two Questions! One; what the heck is a Freedom Fighter? And two; who in all their sanity came up with this and made you ruler of the planet? It seems like a club of amateurs if you'd ask me."

Dr. Robotnik crosses his arms, "So, you're not a part of Knothole Village or Great Forest Zone?"

Sonic groaned as he waved his arms around, "As I said, Egghead, I don't know whatcha talking about, geez! Can't you do the real math for once?"

"IT'S DOCTOR ROBOTNIK!"

Sonic kept a placid yet bored grimace on his face, rolling his eyes as Dr. Robotnik continued his rant upon the blue hedgehog. On the other hand, Sonic couldn't help but feel eccentric about this meeting right now, like it has happened years way before so. Just when the speedy hedgehog narrowed his eyes closer to examine the rotund human's appearance, his eyes snapped open wide in a shocking realization.

It was the same human that saved him from those angry citizens in Mobotropolis.

The one who became his _first _friend.

* * *

_Sonic was close to tears as he curled into a ball, his face buried in his hands while surrounded by the destruction he caused in the streets of Mobotropolis._

_There was nothing left to hide._

_He was alone._

_Vulnerable._

_And everyone knew it now._

_That is until footsteps echoed on the sidewalk, followed by a voice for Sonic to catch, "Why, dear boy. Are you the one who did all this?"_

_The tone didn't feel unkindly to Sonic, as he looked up to see an overweight human in a lab coat, followed by a red long-sleeve shirt underneath, black pants with shoes, and a mustache so large that the young hedgehog has ever seen._

_"Y-Yeah," Sonic nodded timidly, sniffling. "Who are you?"_

_"My name is Doctor Ovi Kintobor, but you may call me Ovi. I am the king's new royal advisor and guest inside the kingdom alongside my nephew Julian." the doctor answers gratefully, kneeling to Sonic's height and smiles, "What's your name, boy...?"_

_"S-Sonic," the child whispered back, feeling confused as to why this...human...was even bothering to talk to him._

_"I see. Well, Sonic. I must believe that you and your speed are quite a gift. Your parents must be proud of you, yes?"_

_Something sparked in Sonic, as he looked away to hide his face. "M-My parents are gone. The only family I have left is Uncle Chuck. He's a scientist and makes super cool things to help others. I still wish he'd be here to help me too."_

_Dr. Kintobor seemed taken aback by this before speaking again, "I'm very sorry for your loss, Sonic. But I am sure your uncle must be looking for you right now."_

_"Why are you here?" asked Sonic, tilting his head a bit._

_"To be honest, I've been looking all over for someone like you to help me out," Dr. Kintobor replied._

_"MY help?" Sonic scoffed but secretly surprised. "Yeah, right! Nobody ever wants MY help."_

_"Well, that's going to change, Sonic! You see, I am a scientist and inventor just like your uncle, though I have been lacking in getting my materials right on time. But with your help, you may easily seem perfectly capable of the task, my young friend."_

_Now, Sonic was truly surprised._

_A human wanted to be his friend?_

_Did he hear that correctly?_

_"Am I a friend to you?" asked Sonic, almost seeming skeptical about it._

_"Absolutely. Come by to my laboratory in case if you are ever interested-"_

_Sonic utterly gave. "When can I start?" he asked excitedly, wagging his tail like a puppy._

_"Ohohoho! Well, all right then!" He laughed, standing up before reaching out his hand for Sonic to hold. "We better get you back to your uncle safely. You'll start tomorrow, so get plenty of rest!"_

_The boy almost reached out, though he couldn't tell if this was all true by the look on Dr. Kintobor's expression._

_"Well?" Dr. Kintobor asked. "Aren't you coming?"_

_Sonic pushed back the skepticism and smiled, holding Dr. Kintobor's hand with his with a nod. And just like that, two friends, one Mobian and one Human left down the street towards a new sign of friendship. One that might last longer than what others expected, except nobody could foresee a storm their future beheld._

* * *

"W-Wait a sec, Ovi?" responded Sonic before raising an eyebrow, "Is that you?"

Dr. Robotnik eventually looked back at the spiky hedgehog with confusion, "What?! We do not know each other...! Oh," he began to laugh, realizing what Sonic meant, "I get it now...you're Sir Charles' nephew! My, how you've grown, Sonic. I haven't seen you for years since I now own your planet!"

"Cutaway from memory lane, Kintobor!" Sonic shouted aloud, pointing at the bloated human, "You're the one who's been putting critters into those robots, aren't you?"

"Yes, correct." Dr. Robotnik answered with a smirk. "What gave it away?"

"And you're the one who stole Uncle Chuck's machine and destroyed Mobotropolis!"

"Indeed I have, boy." Dr. Robotnik replied again, jabbing a thumb at himself, "Besides, you should be grateful that I've rebuilt your city into _my _image of the future. _My _kingdom!"

Sonic's jaw dropped. "Why are you doing all of this?! I thought we were friends!" he growled in frustration, grinding his teeth and gripping his fists.

"Friends, you say?" Dr. Robotnik asked. "You misunderstood yourself, dear boy. All of my succession, my supreme rulership to this planet, the most excellent materials and technology I've obtained. It was all thanks to you, Sonic."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sonic refused to listen. "I had nothing to do with this, Eggman!" he argued.

"Incorrect. All of it is _still _true. Don't you remember those times I let you come and watch my experiments? Especially the one where I included amounts of your incredible speed to power what was once Mobotropolis?" replied Dr. Robotnik nonchalantly.

There was truth behind these words. He wouldn't believe it until a memory rose before Sonic's eyes. At this rate, Sonic's confusion gradually picked up to what he was talking about, understanding about that fateful day years ago.

* * *

_Dr. Kintobor began his search for this Grey Emerald, containing a varied amount of pure, highly unstabled chaotic energy. In his theory, Ovi believed that the goal was to power Mobotropolis for approximately centuries, and maybe even push the boundaries of harnessable energy. Dr. Kintobor and Sonic made their efforts to gather material whenever the human machinist needed them._

_Dr. Kintobor persuaded King Acorn of Mobotropolis that if he succeeds in this experiment, the Kingdom of Acorn will have enough supply of efficient, clean source of energy that could power the city for possibly hundreds of years. _

_The King finally gave and approved of this method. The citizens noticed this too, and a bit skeptical about a human helping their city, along with that hedgehog._

_However, what was surprising to them is that Sonic had changed for the greater good. He showed sheer kindness and joy, and as well as the confidence in his voice to replace his previous self-doubt and pain. _

_The whispers of contempt slowly faded away, letting Sonic earn back his reputation for the better. He even got himself a few fangirls while he had been managing for Ovi. Under Dr. Kintobor's tutelage, Sonic soon developed his natural abilities to an extraordinary degree._

_Using Dr. Kintobor's experimental, supersonic treadmill, Sonic managed to increase his speed partly for relaxation and Ovi's amusement. Sooner or later, Dr. Kintobor also invented unique friction-reducing sneakers for Sonic as a birthday gift, so he wouldn't ignite the treadmill on fire or burn his own feet. And to Ovi's surprise, Sonic gradually built his superspeed for the benefit._

_Days flew by, Dr. Kintobor had grown much too power-hungry over the Grey Emerald for the experiment to be perfect, sometimes working nonstop for days afterward. _

_Sir Charles grew worried about this and advised his nephew to stay away from Dr. Kintobor. _

_But Sonic refused to listen. _

_Why should he when Sonic was the one who needed his uncle the most? _

_Besides, Sonic was fully capable of helping Dr. Kintobor in this experiment by transferring his speed into pure energy for the Grey Emerald project._

_Dr. Kintobor had already explained to Sonic over the details about how much of a scientific breakthrough it would become. How much it keeps eluding the doctor from doing so through all of these tests. _

_No matter how many attempts, the machines couldn't handle harnessing the Grey Emerald's power. The young hedgehog became tensed to the thought that maybe these experiments of Dr. Kintobor have been changing his mood, acting weird all of a sudden._

_Despite this, Sonic agreed to help aid Dr. Kintobor in this new hypothesis that they are willing to try out. And all Sonic had to do was the most uncomplicated thing he could do._

_Run._

_As Sonic was inside the oversized treadmill-type machine in less than a second, Dr. Kintobor tweaked at a small monitor connected to the mechanical contrivance. After making the final adjustments, the monitor flickered to life. On its display glowed green digits, accompanied by the miles per hour sign._

_"Let's get started," Dr. Kintober said, adjusting his spectacles. "Remember Sonic; if this machine is resistant to Chaos Energy, we could measure its exact potential and observe unattainable capabilities. If that's possible, we can be able to harness it."_

_"And your machine won't go crazy on us, right?" Sonic asked innocently._

_"I'm hoping that too, Sonic. You have to trust me on this one better." Dr. Kintobor suddenly scowled, giving the young hedgehog a scary look in his eyes. "Now, it is time to create perfection."_

_Sonic couldn't help but withdraw slightly from being told off like that from Dr. Kintobor. Impatience struggled within Sonic's mind almost instantly. The whole purpose of finding out what was wrong with Dr. Kintobor was the only reason he had gone along with this test in the first place. Sonic had to do this. He wanted to keep himself on Dr. Kintobor's side for as long as he could and find out what was making Robotnik act so strangely._

_With a single nod, Sonic gave a thumbs-up and replied, "Yeah, let's do this thing, doc!"_

_As the human finished the final touches of preparation, he gave a small nod back over to Sonic. The young hedgehog glanced back forward, getting to a position as he began running within the contraption. As minutes passed on, the experiment was playing out flawlessly for Dr. Kintobor. All of the questions he had brewing within his mind were to get answers. Every attempt the doctor tried to discover over the course was coming to light._

**260…287…300…**

_Dr. Kintobor watched as the monitor's display advanced, flickering the digits as they surged to Sonic's speed getting measured. The young hedgehog's feet had only become a blur as a light blue streak aligned itself with the treadmill upon which they dashed. Dr. Kintobor shivered in anticipation, not wanting to let all of his hard work go to waste. He awaited his machine's completion, eyes burning back and forth at his subject and the monitor._

_"Yes, yes, yes!" Dr. Kintobor said with growing excitement. "Keep running faster! Faster-!"_

***KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK***

_"Wha?" Dr. Kintobor said quietly, turning to where his closed entrance received harsh knockings._

_"OVI!" Sir Charles' voice came from the other side, sounding angry. "What are you doing with MY nephew in there! Open the door this instant!"_

_While Dr. Kintobor heard Sir Charles knocking again, his focus remained stubbornly upon the monitor. He didn't even attempt to look at Sonic, nor the machine that the young hedgehog ran within. He was more interested in the experiment and its results, peering as the digits went through a sudden surge._

**321…380…439…**

_Meanwhile, Sonic's eyes glimmered with determination as he planted his entire focus ahead. Everything around him, even the machinery, seemed to whip out of existence. His legs were motoring away as if he were running on his own. The young hedgehog bowed his head further until his legs powered up again at an alarming speed. As a smirk emerged upon on his face, Sonic was going to go as fast as he could, no matter what._

**[DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!]**

**[SYSTEM OVERLOAD!]**

**[ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!]**

_Until what had happened, a sudden flash of red caught Dr. Kintobor's eye. His focus slipped out of his rolling thoughts and back into the beeping monitor. While the digits were still increasing, he also spotted the source of red. The light was an alarm. The machine was beginning to strain itself from Sonic, regardless of the anticipations taken previously._

_"No," Dr. Kintobor gritted his teeth in frustration but knew that now was not the time to lose his composure. "This can't happen again! I can't fail this now-!"_

_Suddenly, the human heard his entrance opening, and he recognizes Sir Charles' means of hacking through certain technologies. He rushed right in alongside Rosie Woodchuck, who was a brown groundhog with white hair, round ears, and buck teeth. She wore a blue dress with yellow linings and white gloves._

_Rosie gasps in horror, "What the...?"_

**...731…738...742...**

_When Sir Charles flinched at the sight of Sonic racing inside of Dr. Kintobor's machine, he snarled at the human, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM!?"_

_Dr. Kintobor ignored the middle-aged hedgehog, following where the Grey Emerald within the compartment suddenly responding to this tension. Seconds later, the two Mobians from behind became surprised as Dr. Kintobor's laughter surged from his lungs, letting it echo throughout the air and off the walls._

_"HAHAHAHAHA~! It worked!" Dr. Kintobor punches the air with a grin, gazing ferociously toward the shocked faces of Sir Charles and Rosie. "I have mastered the use of Chaos Energy! Don't you see, Charles?! We know now how to contain it for better use! How to use it as an immense power source for the city! I have surpassed what my grandfather couldn't do! I did the impossible-!"_

_Before the round human could flourish more of his triumph, Sir Charles attempted to get past him, "I don't care about that! Just get the boy out of that machine, Ovi-"_

***SMACK***

_Sir Charles then took a vicious strike in the face, getting thrown back to crash into the cabinets nearby. The seemingly maniacal grin upon Dr. Kintobor's face appeared to deteriorate entirely after smacking the older hedgehog away._

_"Away with your filth!" Dr. Kintobor snarled, the anger in his voice becoming more prominent. "You do not get to decide what this kingdom needs anymore!"_

_"Charles!" Rosie exclaimed in horror as she rushed to his side, seeing the man that she loved unconscious before glaring at the human. "Y-You're a monster!"_

_Dr. Kintobor, however, ignored the female woodchuck as his eyes widened at the sudden rumble resounding around him. The Grey Emerald reacted with a brilliant flash of light as the digits flashed upon the monitor one last time._

**...761.**

_Dr. Kintobor could only mutter a few words, "Oh my go-!"_

_All known limits of mammalogical acceleration have gotten crossed, as Sonic was the first to discover the speed of sound. __A shockwave blasted outwards from the machinery, finally unable to sustain the unstable energy any longer._

_And then..._

_...there was nothing._

_Sir Charles was the first to wake up, almost droopy, and spent until becoming disturbed as to what he witnessed before him. Limbs heavy and resultant under his mental commands, Sonic sprawled on the floor carpeted in soot, lab fragments, and blocks of the building. __Computer circuits lay seared and crackling with loose electricity. The blue residue from the blast had faded and was becoming substituted by chugging black smoke that unfolded from the consoles and massive electrical fires. Dr. Kintobor was less fortunate, suffering the direct lash of the blast, as he lay crumpled on the floor where the Grey Emerald had somehow sprung loose from its prison and disappeared._

_The older hedgehog laid his eyes on Rosie, where he came over to shake her consciousness back together._

_"__Rosie?" Sir Charles said, sounding worried. "Are you all right?"_

_"Y-Yes," Rosie began to wake up, groaning softly and rubs a hand over her face. "W-Where is your nephew?"_

_At an instant of realization, Sir Charles' blood went cold, and shot his way through the debris to search around, "Sonny-Boy!? Where are you?"_

_Sonic's figure caught Rosie's eye, pointing the direction, "Charles, over there!"_

_Sr Charles turned and got met with the sight of his awakened nephew struggling off the ground a few feet away. Sonic shook some grime off himself and saw his dear uncle, "Uncle Chuck!"_

_Just as Sonic rushed over and embraced Sir Charles tightly, the older hedgehog was relieved that his nephew was still alive, "Sonny-Boy!"_

_"Uncle Chuck, I'm so, so sorry!" Sonic muttered while trying to gain the courage to meet his uncle's gentle gaze._

_Sir Charles only smiled as he hugged his nephew, "It's okay now, Sonic. Everything is going to be alright. I promise you that-"_

_"W-Wait," Sonic slowly released himself from his uncle's embrace. "Where's the doc? Dr. Kintobor!"_

_Rosie comes forth and halts near Sir Charles, "Now wait, young bairn, I don't think that's a good idea!"_

_"But he has to be around here somewhere!" Sonic checks around before spotting the round human, coming over to check on him. "Holy crap, Kintobor!"_

_"Wait, Sonic!" Sir Charles demanded with a scared tone. "Stop!"_

_"D-Dr. Kintobor?" Sonic paid no attention to his uncle and went to reach out._

_The human scientist moved beneath his white lab coat. As Sonic inched a little closer, ignoring his uncle while he shuffled forward on his knees. Questions started reeling crazily in his mind, but right now, they needed to leave. The fires were thickening, where one of the computer terminals mere feet away exploded like a hand grenade, making the Mobians jump._

_Just then, Dr. Kintobor's hand reached out from beneath the coat. He groped out like a clumsy claw and pressed flat against the floor. Then, the overweight human went to rise as Sonic trembled a bit in Dr. Kintobor's towering and sinister shadow._

_"Kintobor?" Sir Charles asked cautiously, "Can you hear me?"_

_A dark, raging human peeled out from the shroud of the coat. Sonic's eyes grew wide as he glanced up at Dr. Kintobor's eyes, swallowing dryly while both Sir Charles and Rosie's ears cocked slightly backward. It looked like the human had no eyes, just two black empty eye sockets with fiery-red dots storming out of an unfamiliar face. Teeth stretched outward behind tight, snarling lips._

_"H-Hey, Doc," Sonic whispered as his weak smile vanished from his face._

_"Get up."_

_Sonic couldn't understand, watching this cold, towering figure rise from the ashes of his computer terminals and frazzled wires. "W-Wha-?"_

_"**GET UP.**"_

_Sonic immediately complied, scrambling to his feet as he blinked nervously at the doctor's terrifying eyes._

_"I'm going to give all three of you a compromise," Dr. Kintobor's voice was twisted and hoarse, like the complete opposite of his soft, soothing voice that came out in a gentle melody. "Leave as fast as you can away from my sight..."_

_Sonic's heart sank, both of his shocked eyes staring at him in fright. However, Sir Charles and Rosie quickly came over to move Sonic away from Dr. Kintobor. But Sonic shook his head and thrashed away from them._

_"Doc...I-I..." Sonic hardly uttered a complete sentence._

_"... or, you three remain here and find yourselves blasted to oblivion."_

_Something had truly changed Dr. Kintobor into something more drastic, vulgar, and evil. Sonic didn't want this, nor couldn't he understand what was going on with the human scientist._

_"B-But why, Dr. Kintobor?" Sonic croaked, his voice cracking beyond recognition. "I've always trusted you and thought you'd be okay-!"_

_With a snarling manner, Dr. Kintobor sneered at the young hedgehog, "Because you have always tried my PATIENCE, stupid little BRAT!"_

_The bloated human took another step forward upon Sonic, who glanced up, eyes filled with confusion and devastation. "B-But...!"_

_"SHUT UP!" Dr. Kintobor snapped at the Mobian child, "I've had enough of your disobedience, your snooping attitude, and especially the way you take up ALL my valuable time for YOUR idiocy!"_

_Dr. Kintobor pointed pas the collection of burnt-out machinery, which Sonic observed with horror, "Half of my contraptions have become damaged beyond repair, thanks to your ridiculous antics! And thanks to you, all that Chaos energy from the Grey Emerald has dislodged, and now this very city won't be compelling as it is anymore!"_

_"Don't you dare threaten my nephew, you devil!" Sir Charles shouted, putting himself in front of Sonic to protect him from harm. "You think you can come around and point fingers at a child, expecting yourself as some good guy all of a sudden?"_

_"You're not welcome in this city anymore!" Rosie chimed in, crossing her arms angrily._

_Dr. Kintobor came towards the automatic steel door, which had already slid open thanks to Sir Charles' hacking skills. __"Then I am giving you three a chance to run now. And don't you DARE try coming back, unless you each prefer option B with a crushed neck?"_

_Rosie swallowed dryly, "We're leaving."_

_Without a breath's hesitation, Sir Charles took Sonic by the hand alongside him, who had his head dropped. He focused on the steel floor than Dr. Kintobor's final and reluctant gift. Sonic then released himself from his uncle's grasp and glanced at Dr. Kintobor's burning eyes._

_"Doc, please!" Sonic begged, "If there's anything I can do to-!"_

_"THREE."_

_Sonic nearly became angry now, "Please, just tell me what I can do-!"_

_"TWO."_

_"Sonic, just leave the man be and let's go-!" Sir Charles tried to convince his nephew._

_But Sonic's foot stomped forward as an interruption, forcing up a glare towards Dr. Kintobor, "WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! If you could just-!"_

_"**ONE.**"_

_No protests nor words came out of Sonic's mouth as the air around grew thin, yet it streaked through his fur with ferocity. Tears steadily dribbled down his muzzle until he was airborne, already off past Sir Charles and Rosie, and away from where the laboratory dome was situated. __A great sadness had entered his core._

* * *

After all that moment of silence in the blue hedgehog, he soon realized that Dr. Kintobor turned from a kind human of science with a finely-honed mind...

...to a _vile _and mean-spirited soul, and will not hesitate to terminate or repress anything that stands in the way of his plans for world domination.

"That's right, hedgehog!" Dr. Robotnik said, deliberately injecting a taunt in his words, "You've completed me, awakened me, and made me into the most powerful human this world has ever seen. Of course, if you'd listen to that sorrowful uncle of yours about me, you wouldn't have had anything to do with creating me."

Sonic gaped at the bloated dictator as he stared back at the blue hedgehog with slight glee. Sonic had put all of Mobius in grave danger, and he could feel it. He had walked into a trap all along, all because he'd played with naivety and foolishly accompanied the doctor to work for him, right into Robotnik's gloved fist. Was all this Sonic's fault that Mobius was under the control of this madman?

"After that awful accident, I was able to fool that miserable King Acorn into thinking the Great War was happening again, and outshine _his _very city and _his _eternal mediocrity for the infinity of _MY _empire!" Dr. Robotnik explained again, causing Sonic to glare back.

"You see, Sonic, I desire for _control_. You, of all people, made me come to the sudden epiphany; an _understanding_. Nature truly isn't enough, because one must dominate, control, and contort it for better use. And to do that, I will control and mechanize anything I come across. A world where _we _control the forces of nature itself!" The evil doctor stretched out a gloved hand to the blue speedster.

While blinking in mild confusion, Sonic's eyes moved to where Dr. Robotnik had his hand towards him. "W-What?"

"It's all in the Chaos Emeralds that I'm supposed to find. Beautiful, symmetrical, and unstoppable. Join me in my quest, old friend. I assure you that no one will stand in our way. We'll be kings-! No..._gods _of this planet!"

Sonic felt sick to the very pit of his stomach. The human hovering before the young speedster was nothing more than a madman. How could Sonic have been so blind? The confusion and tiredness made him brave to the point where he had to hold his guard. Because after hearing those exact words from an old friend, they were flames now.

"N-No," Sonic muttered his answer.

"What did you just say-?"

"I said **_NO!_**"

Dr. Robotnik frowned as his expression turned dark. "And here I thought you'd do anything to be accepted, _hedgehog_," he growled.

"How could you do this! I worked with you! I trusted you! You found me and became my best friend when I was all alone, but now you're going to pay the price! For destroying Mobotropolis and enslaving the Mobians!" Sonic yelled before curling into a ball to attack the Egg-O-Matic. "It's payback time for taking away my Uncle Chuck, Eggman!"

However, the Egg-O-Matic zips sideways to dodge Sonic's Spin Attack. "It's Dr. Robotnik, you little walking pincushion!" the evil doctor countered back.

After Sonic lands to his feet, he glared back. "You're not going to get away with this, doc!" Sonic yelled.

The only answer Sonic received was laughter from the bloated human, who had begun snickering to keep his amusement below. However, it soon failed just as Dr. Robotnik laughed aloud for most bystanders to hear him audibly.

"Ohohoho, but I am!~" Robotnik laughed, making his hovercraft fly around. "Behold, my greatest invention to this date: The Egg-O-Matic…"

Not before long, Sonic smirked at him before scorning. "Aw jeez, Humpty-Dumpty! Never thought you'd have this strange obsession of eggs in your so-called _big _empire."

"Shut up, you! My name is Dr. Robotnik!" the bloated human yelled. "This hover-pod of mine can adapt and suit almost any battle condition! Since you are here now..."

***CHNK***

The bottom of the Egg-O-Matic opened and allowed a giant checker-colored ball, which included a chain until it dropped down. "...you shall be my first test-dummy for the Checker-Wrecker Ball!"

"Woah, I did not see that coming!" Sonic said before noticing the ball's shadow coming above to squash him but then sprints to the side to dodge. "Is that all you got, Ro-Butt-Nik?"

The ball began rocking back and forth in a wide arc as Dr. Robotnik glared daggers at the blue hedgehog.

"You spiny swine! How dare you?! I'll gladly flatten you into a rodent pancake!" Dr. Robotnik growled, commencing to destroy the blue hedgehog.

Sonic managed to avoid the wrecking ball but was bored of staying on the defensive spot.

During his hasty manner, Sonic began thinking to himself, "_I gotta' think of something…hmm, there's a couple of those floating platforms over by. Maybe if I lure Egghead close enough, I can be able to reach his Egg-Mobile._"

The speed demon dashed under the swinging ball and started taunting, "Come on! Over here, Eggman!"

Just as the crazed tyrant took the bait and followed in pursuit, Sonic sprang atop a platform, and as soon as Dr. Robotnik got closer, he unleashes a Spin Attack onto the Egg-O-Matic.

"Stand still so I can crush you, hedgehog!" Dr. Robotnik shouted, shaking his raised fist in the air.

"Yeah, right, that'll happen." Sonic rolled his eyes with a smirk, "Besides, we all know that I'm fast..."

Sonic repeated his previous tactic a few more times as Dr. Robotnik's hovercraft was nearly looking trashed.

"...and you're furious!" finished Sonic.

"Alright, that's it," Dr. Robotnik said, "Get a load of this!"

The Egg-O-Matic did a frontflip, causing the wrecking ball and chain to flourish much quicker now. The evil doctor flung the ball onto the floating platform Sonic was standing on, sending the blue speedster toppling to the ground.

"Glad to see you got some variety, Eggman," Sonic said as he picked himself up.

Dr. Robotnik then began to swing the ball at Sonic again before he jumped up and tried hitting the bloated human. But instead, Sonic was the one getting hit, as the ball impacted him, sending him flying into the air.

"Ha! Gotcha, you blue pest!" Dr. Robotnik smirked as he flew the hovercraft to find Sonic.

The spiky speedster landed on a bridge that was over a massive drop into a river. "Okay...ow, ow and more ow. It looks like Butt-Nik here isn't kidding about the whole test-dummy complex..."

***CHOMP***

"YOUCH!" Sonic shrieked pithily when he suddenly felt something harsh from his tail.

Sonic jumped up and saw that a piranha-based Badnik called a Chopper, was biting his tail.

"Hey, knock it off!" Sonic yelled, grabbing the Chopper's tail and lobbed it towards the ground, freeing a critter after getting smashed.

"First land robots, now aqua Badniks? Man, doesn't doctor bozo ever stop to find a better use for these guys?" Sonic asked himself.

"Yes, and that is destroying the likes of you, Sonic!" Dr. Robotnik shouted aloud for him to hear.

"Oh, crud!" Sonic looked up to see the Egg-O-Matic's ball and chain about to hit him.

Only for Sonic to sidestep out of the way and tried to run off the bridge, but it was blocked by a group of crab-based Badnik called Crabmeats!

"Okay, this is just getting way too gnarly!" Sonic turned around to see Dr. Robotnik chasing him.

"Except for those little blue spines of yours!" Dr. Robotnik shouted.

After a moment, an idea popped in Sonic's head. "_Hmm, the hedgehog's got a plan!_" he thought.

Sonic quickly jumped towards the chain and grabbed onto it, standing on top of the wrecking ball. "Batter up, bucket-heads!"

He then managed to shift the weight of the ball around, so it would sharply swat out the Crabmeats. Sonic then jumped off the ball and grabbed into the side of the Egg-O-Matic.

"Get off my hover-pod, you blue nuisance!" Dr. Robotnik yelled, trying to slap or wallop the blue speedster away.

It remained useless to the round human as Sonic reached for the steering wheel of the machine, making it tumble down and head into a cliff. However, the Egg-O-Matic barely went over, but the wrecking ball didn't, causing the chain to break as the ball fell to its doom. The Egg-O-Matic skidded across the floor, making the two arch-enemies fall out. With the force of the hover-pod dragging backward, it landed right over the evil doctor.

His muffled screams got heard as Sonic couldn't help but laugh at this. "Game over, Butt-Nik! You've just got yourself in a tight situation!"

Within seconds, Dr. Robotnik was still trapped under the Egg-O-Matic as Sonic paused his laughter for a few seconds.

"Yo, doc? You still there? Or did I finally crack the egg?" Sonic called out, his knuckles rapping on the hover-pod with ease.

Finally, the round human triggered the Egg-O-Matic to flip underside and hover back up to its original point, with him tightly squished inside with a hint of struggle.

Dr. Robotnik brushed himself off and gained control of his Egg-O-Matic. "Believe me, this isn't the end, rodent," he growled.

Sonic shook his head with a frown, before his voice hardening with a smile curling up. "Maybe not, Eggy. But right now, the people of Mobius that you're hurting will trust me as their hero. And they'll be under my protection from you!"

The bloated man laughed, a sneer plastered on his face. "Surely enough, brat. You may think you'll save them, but truthfully..." He pulled out a small remote from his pocket. "...they will still loathe you after what you brought yourself into."

A tremendous rumble came from behind Sonic as something from the ground erupted, a gigantic caterpillar-based Super Badnik called a Cater-Killer.

Sonic's eyes looked up at the Cater-Killer with its huge eyes and sharp teeth. "What the heck?"

"Don't look so surprised," Dr. Robotnik said as he laughed again. "I'm an exceptional genius. What did you expect? Aside from that, I should've known from the beginning you were a threat. I was hoping you'd turn into an ally for me, but I knew I had to do something in case you decided to override my global plans."

Sonic gritted his teeth as he saw Dr. Robotnik fly away.

"Until then, I hope you enjoy lying to your people," said Dr. Robotnik before zipping off across the skies and disappeared, leaving Sonic to deal with the Super Badnik alone.

Immediately, Sonic was processing all of this from the moment he recognized Ovi after that fight beforehand. Back then, Sonic was only a kid when Mobotropolis was around, and it couldn't have been his fault. But still, the young hedgehog hadn't resolved much of it when he achieved alongside Dr. Kintobor and all of his wacky experimentations. Just hope to the world of how people would react to Sonic if he had told them that he and Ovi _used to be_ best friends.

"Yep," Sonic crossed his arms before gazing back at the Cater-Killer, who charged at him, "Things are getting way too interesting."

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	3. Chapter 3

The Cater-Killer stood tall, towering in front of Sonic with an enormous shadow hovering over him. The blue hero's scowling gaze switched up to the giant-robotic caterpillar that produced a soft, eerie sound to receive chills and make someone's blood run cold.

However, for Sonic, a cocky smile came plastered on his face once again. The blue hedgehog knew that it was time to work and do what is best for him.

Saving the day and crush some evil robots!

Sonic had already come charging, still smiling at the enormous Caterkiller when it saw the blue hedgehog coming, lifting its mouth directly to chomp the speed demon down. Sonic then used his legs to break into a skid and leaped into the air, the caterpillar-based robot's teeth missed within seconds.

The cobalt speedster spins up the Cater-Killer and knocks in a flash the head of the Super Badnik. The Cater-Killer saw Sonic come for the next attack and swung at him. But Sonic ran around the Super Badnik, trying to keep up with the speed of the Blue Blur.

Sonic ran up to its face with a sly smirk. "Hey, tin-brain! You can't catch me!"

Then in a bright blue steak, Sonic disappeared, taking the Cater-Killer by surprise as it looked left and right, trying to find the blue hedgehog. But it didn't know Sonic was right behind the Cater-Killer, as Sonic looked to see the metal containment unit again.

"_Okay, time to see what's inside this sucker here._" Sonic ponders before jumping up to press the capsule's switch.

Destroying the capsule door open, it released almost ten critters inside.

"What the...?" Sonic said, merely taken by surprise as his eyes quickly landed on the source of the chirps and yips.

He had freed all sorts of woodland creatures that were captured by the Badniks. When the Cater-Killer glanced forward to review on its captives, it detected that the capsule was shattered open by something or someone.

The Super Badnik overheard Sonic's voice from behind, "Yo, Chrome-Dome. I'm right behind you."

The Cater-Killer crooked around to see Sonic smiling mischievously at the Super Badnik. It had enough of the pestering blue speedster, making a complete fool out of the Cater-Killer. Sonic suddenly jumped and lands on the Cater-Killer's head, still beaming at the enormous robot and then plans on doing a slap on the wrist.

Sonic did an act of pulling down one lower eyelid and sticking out the tongue, saying, "Nyaaaah!"

That action suddenly made the Super Badnik incredibly furious, so angry that it didn't distinguish what it was supposed to be undertaking as it elevated itself up to smash Sonic.

As the automated robot swung down the cobalt hedgehog who was taunting it, Sonic galloped up and out of the way from the head. Although the Cater-Killer didn't lash out upon the speed demon, it seemed to bounce the Super Badnik's left eyeball as it branched off and dumping itself on the ground.

"Buh-bye!" Sonic yelled to the Cater-Killer as he was making a run for it.

The Super Badnik had just about enough humiliation from the cobalt speedster.

It accumulated itself with one swoop and started to pursue after Sonic into the large clear area. The Cater-Killer performed an enhanced jump to try while evading anything ahead of him but to no avail.

With a mighty mechanical roar, the Super Badnik lifts itself up and directly down to where Sonic supposedly be.

***KA-BOOM***

The ground exploded upon the impact with the energetic sound of the Cater-Killer, creating a smokescreen, which made the Super Badnik believe that he blew away Sonic the Hedgehog.

But then again, it was sorely mistaken when Sonic came out of the smoke in a Spin Attack, charging straight for the Cater-Killer. In the spinning ball of destruction, Sonic was snickering as he got closer to the Super Badnik.

"You know, now that I think about it..." Sonic trailed off as he bounces over the Cater-Killer and onto its middle side. "...aren't you guys eventually supposed to evolve into a more majestic and peaceful insect?"

The Cater-Killer glared at Sonic with one red eye, and its purple spraypaint looked pale and had dents in it. It hissed slowly, and its body jolted upward underneath Sonic, causing him to get hoisted into the air.

"_Okay, guess not._" Sonic thought with a deadpanned manner before twirling around, "_Oh well, such a cruel fate of the Super Badnik! Let's end this!_"

The Cater-Killer tried walloping at him until the Blue Blur shattered through its head, leaving a gaping hole through the center of its entire body.

It sparked instantaneously and was about to blow sky high.

Eventually, the blue ball rushed itself from above, ripping through from out of the Cater-Killer's end. The Super Badnik detonated into billions of pieces as an impenetrable cloud of smoke originated from the explosion. Just like before, several woodland critters popped out of their prisons and scampered away for their lives.

Oddly, one shadowy figure came falling out of the Super Badnik's shattered peak.

As the smoke slightly cleared, what remained of the Cater-Killer, was now a pile of smoldering metal and parts. Sonic slowly emerges from the smoke behind the demolished Cater-Killer, gazing upon the other critters with a serious, yet confident look.

"Heh, too easy as a piece of cake," Sonic said to himself until he crossed his arms with a sigh of dissatisfaction. "Though, that went faster than I wanted it to. And I'm already bored now-!"

***THUD***

"UGH!"

A feminine voice urged out of nowhere as Sonic's face features perked up in confusion, turning his head to the side as his eyes scoped over to see another Mobian.

"Ugh...ow...!" the female Mobian groaned, who struggled on one knee while rubbing her head in a slight headache.

Sonic blinked before reflecting in his thoughts, "_Hey, she's not a critter, she's Mobian. I would give that drop a solid five, but maybe she shouldn't try landing on her face next time. Better go see if she's okay._"

As the female Mobian picks herself up and tries dusting off, Sonic walks right over to check on her. His eyes soon caught onto the sight of a quiver full of arrows strapped around her back. Seeing this now, Sonic finally recognize where the bow from before had belonged to earlier.

"Hey, uh, Red? Are you all right? I found this bow on the ground nearby in case if it was yours." Sonic asked, still cautious about his actions and words around girls as he held out the ranged weapon.

"Yeah, I think so. Thank you for finding my bow." The girl said as she then turns around to face Sonic behind her. "That was amazing of what you did!"

"Oh, thanks a lot- Ulp!" Sonic trailed off before he went blank, witnessing a hormone-charge on what the girl's appearance divulged.

She was a female chipmunk with dark auburn hair that connects a stripe down her back and ending on her tail. The girl's face had a lighter brown patch where her blue eyes settled, and her cheeks were smooth and rounded. She wore an open blue vest that matched the color of her knee-high boots, followed by a black midriff top and shorts with white trim. And just like Sonic, she sported white gloves as well.

"_Holy moly._" Sonic pondered in his thoughts, feeling uneasy inside his heart for some reason.

The chipmunk girl stood out like a diamond in the rough. Her beauty was unmatched by any other girl Sonic has ever seen before. The sun's rays skipped along the slender curves of her figure, making her fur glimmer, and her hair flowing in the breeze. Sonic looked on, vacantly, and let his thoughts trail off. Despite the simplicity of her apparel, Sonic couldn't find it in him to pull his gaze from her.

The chipmunk girl seemed like she was waiting for him, "Um, are you going to give me back my bow?"

"Oh. Uh, here you go!" Sonic murmured a bit before speaking up as he handed the bow over, which the chipmunk girl finally accepted.

"And my name's not Red, by the way," she smirked challengingly, putting a hand on her hip while handling her bow.

"Hehehe! Sorry about that, miss." Sonic replied, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Well, that's okay." The girl said before continuing, "It's nice to meet you! And since I'm almost positive that it's not Blue..."

Gradually, she then held out her hand towards the blue hedgehog, expecting a handshake.

"...what's your name?" was her next question.

Sonic subtly noticed the girl's hand in front of him, which makes Sonic's expression quick enough to change back to a smug default as he playfully grasps her hand.

"Sonic the Hedgehog!" he said, followed by one of his signature smiles.

"Oh? Haha! Well, I can certainly see why!" she inquired, a smug smirk written on her face after shaking his hand.

"Heh! Yeah, I know." Sonic smiles warmly before speaking again, "Speaking of names, I never caught yours, miss."

Catching her attention, the female chipmunk proudly introduced herself, "My name is Princess Sally Acorn from the Acorn Kingdom. But for now, I am a field leader and archer of the Knothole Freedom Fighters."

By the time Sally mentioned her last name, contentedness had left Sonic's mind once again as it recalled back to his fight with Dr. Robotnik. He had told the cocky hedgehog that King Acorn got tricked by the mad genius, and now the King's daughter was standing right there, making him almost feel uncomfortable. This feeling began to distraught Sonic inside his mind, searching for the right words to say to the princess before him.

"_How do you tell someone that you are the reason for bringing a crazed egghead into existence and changing their kingdom as a complete nightmare?_" Sonic puzzled this thoroughly until he became sore for a bit, his expression seemingly vague.

But overall, Sonic did his best to keep up the selfless act before nodding.

"A princess in archery, huh? No surprise there, I guess," Sonic said with an optimistic grin, which caused the tomboy girl to look away with a small blush.

"Hehehe! Oh, it's not so much as great overall, but at least it keeps the Badnik troops away. It took me a couple of years to master the qualifications, but you know." Sally stares off into space, unsure what to say other than her abilities.

They both then gave each other an adoring look even though the pink blush heated Sally's cheeks.

"So, Sonic. Are you the guardian I've heard about from onlookers? The one that can travel at such speed extremely quickly?" Sally asked with a smile.

Sonic blinked for a second before sticking by his smug demeanor, making heroic gestures. "The one and only. But sometimes I'd like my title to go for the Blue Blur! Or maybe, World's Fastest Hedgehog! Am I right or am I RIGHT, princess?"

"Well, they're rather _on the nose_ if I do say so myself." Sally sounds amused at each of those names, reaching a finger forward to boop Sonic on the nose.

Making him grin bashfully, Sonic scratches the back of his spiky quills as he could only laugh a bit, "Hahaha! Of course, I'd already known that, though."

Sally adopted a thoughtful pose for a brief moment before she smiled at Sonic. "Well, thanks again for saving me, Sonic! I-"

A thought came to her mind before gasping, "W-Wait, oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Sonic began, looking a bit confused about the as Sally looks away for a moment.

"I forgot about the others!" Sally said, becoming more worried than usual as Sonic watched.

"Others? You mean you came here with a bunch of other people?" asked Sonic, tilting his head in confusion before he saw the sad look in her eyes.

"The other Freedom Fighters! They were captured and probably put into one of those Super Badniks like me!" Sally explained, looking back at Sonic.

With that said, Sonic began to process all of this information down, recognizing his decision to help the princess. After all, that's what _heroes _do for others.

"Well, I don't know who these Freedom Fighters are, but if you truly need my help, I know a lot about smashing Badniks now." Sonic shrugged, he rubs his nose notably.

Sally couldn't help but blink as luck would have it before slowly smiling, "W-Would you? Because they could be as far as to one of Robotnik's strongholds right now!"

Sonic waved a hand to dismiss Sally's vexatious manner, "No worries, Sally. I'm going to help you get your gang back together from Ro-Butt-Nik, and we'll make sure he bothers nobody about it either. Besides, for a hero like me, it's what I do from now on!"

More stunned silence followed before Sally began smiling like she hadn't for a while. Just as things got a little more staggering than usual for Sonic, he immediately felt two arms wrap around him and got placed for a hug from the archer princess herself. Sonic made a small squeak and instantly kept his arms in place.

"Aw, thank you so much, Sonic!" Sally said as she expressed gratitude to Sonic for aiding her on this mission. "You don't know how much this helps!"

Sonic felt sudden as he proceeds to handle this strange feeling he hadn't felt for long; compassion, adoration, and love.

The speed demon himself had never experienced a hug for years along after, so he couldn't help but smile at this. Her euphoric and hypnotizing scent felt powerful, and she felt soft and smooth. Sonic never knew how much he took a big liking to girls, but still, this was his first time seeing one so beautiful up close. After a while of feeling bedazzled by the princess's beauty, Sonic looks at her for a bit.

"Aw, it's no big deal, Sal." Sonic blurted that nickname out before he stopped talking for a bit.

But it was too late, as Sally gave away from the hug along with a raised eyebrow. "Sal? That's a new one for someone you've just met." she teased.

Sonic laughed a bit, rotating both his hands in a circular motion, "Hehe! Come on! Everybody has got to have a nickname once in a while, right?"

"Hehe! Right." Sally giggled slightly before clearing her throat to get serious about this, "Okay, we should better get going if we're heading to Scrap Brain Zone."

Sonic rolled his eyes towards Sally. "Yeah, I suppose you've got a plan of some sorts to where we're heading, Sal?"

"Yep, I can have Nicole scout our destination towards Marble Zone," said Sally.

"Nicole?" asked Sonic, tilting his head in puzzlement.

Not before long, Sally takes out an upgraded handheld device from her left pocket. "This here is Nicole."

Crackling to life from Sally's gloved hand, the computer spoke, {_Scan Complete. Unknown Subject Detected. Confirm Identity._}

"Uh, Sal?" asked Sonic, hoping his new chipmunk friend would notice this.

Sally then replied, "Nicole, deactivate security protocol and register new ally identification for Sonic."

"Sonic the Hedgehog." The blue hedgehog smirked with pride.

{_Registration for Ally "Sonic the Hedgehog" Complete._}

Sally then closes Nicole and put her away, "Then it's settled. You are now a part of my allies, Sonic."

Sonic crosses his arms. "I'm not letting anything else try and slow me down, you know."

"Nothing's quicker than a direct route, so try not to be so impatient, Sonic," Sally informed with a smile, though she still was exasperated.

Sonic grinned, bowing down like some pretend butler while pointing towards her direction, "Well, then by all means," he jeers. "Lead the way."

Sally rolled her eyes with hilarity for the speed demon's foolishness, walking past him. Sonic then begins to follow alongside the tomboyish princess, both of his hands wrapped around behind his spiny-quilled head.

Sonic's thoughts from before had stayed in place and how much he allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. His eyes remained fixed on the ground, as he puzzled Dr. Robotnik's past actions with him being a part of it all. The mad genius made his move and took just about everything away from an abundance of Mobians, especially Sally, to which Sonic had now met due to the situation currently.

How was Sonic going to tell Sally about his experiences with what used to be Dr. Kintobor? Would she react in outrage? Maybe sympathy?

The speedy hero himself would have to find out for when the time comes.

"I've also wanted to find out if you know the whereabouts of my Father, King Nigel Acorn. My mother and brother as well too. Their names are Clarissa and Elias, in case you need to know. You must have traveled around Mobius with your skills. Have you heard anything?" Sally questioned.

Sonic felt his eyes jolt from the chipmunk girl's inquiry, exhaling before he looks up and itches his ear. "Well, uh, it's not that I've met the King myself or in some parts from here. But to be honest, not really! Like, I don't remember coming across any dudes wearing crowns. Not even queens or princes either. If I see anybody like them, I'll make sure to get them all back for you."

Watching the blue hedgehog shrug dismissively, Sally sighed in an understanding as she nods, "Thank you for telling me, Sonic."

"Eh, no prob'!" Sonic winked at her with a smile, looking the other way during the walk. "So, how'd you and your posse get here on South Island anyway?"

"Well, here's the thing," Sally answered, continuing as she pulled out the handheld computer again. "Nicole had detected some strange energy signal from this place. Me and my friends, Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor, went along on South Island here to try and find the energy signature."

Tugging out from behind her, Sally eventually pulls out what seems to be a Red Emerald. "That's when I found this gemstone in which Nicole told me that it was a Chaos Emerald. The next thing I knew, Robotnik appeared out of nowhere and placed my friends and me into various Super Badniks. I was lucky enough to hide the Emerald from Robotnik's radar, thanks to Nicole blocking the sensors."

Sonic paused, raised an eyebrow while he scratched his ear, remembering back to what Dr. Robotnik mentioned to him. "Chaos Emerald? I've been hearing some weird mumbo-jumbo recently these days. Just what the heck are they anyway?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"That's what we are about to find out," Sally answered, opening her handheld computer. "Nicole, reexamine what a Chaos Emerald is and exhibit any of its properties."

{_Reexamining, Sally..._}

For a few seconds, Nicole beeps, activating, with many buttons lighting up.

{_The Chaos Emeralds are seven gemstones and mystical relics parallelled to the Master Emerald, with compelling properties and abilities. Those that maintain the Chaos Emeralds can utilize their capabilities for a diversity of forms, such as powering machines, warping time and space, and have control over nearly infinite power. Overall, further research has yet to become discovered._}

Sonic gazed with awe when his eyes rested upon Nicole, feeling astonished by such mysterious power existing anywhere on the planet. Furthermore, Nicole emits a spherical holographic display, showing each Chaos Emerald. On the other hand, Sonic couldn't help but remember back when Dr. Kintobor had obtained the Grey Emerald for its use that could've brought enough energy for Mobius. Though, it had only changed for the _worse_.

{_Each Chaos Emerald comes in different colors, such as the following: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and grey. They were believably inactive within misconceptions created on South Island, the island that moves around on the sea._}

Sally puts a hand on her chin, "It must be why Robotnik wanted the one I had."

Sonic remained convinced that Dr. Robotnik wasn't going to stop these hostiles and calamities, despite that even if it's not going to stop the spiky hedgehog.

Moreover, Sally might discover more about him back then throughout this new adventure of theirs.

That's just the feeling that he's willing to pull off.

"No doubt about it, Sal," Sonic added, tapping his foot with a stern look. "If Butt-Nik's in search of these Chaos Emeralds, that must be why he's on South Island here..."

Suddenly, Sally felt herself getting lifted off her feet and sees Sonic carrying her bridal style.

"Sonic-!" Sally gasped in surprise.

"...and if my hunch is right, there's gotta' be another Chaos Emerald up at Marble Zone. So, who cares about walking there, princess. We'll be taking the Hedgehog-Speed-Station, and you're my first customer yet!" Sonic grinned as he kept her balanced in his arms, causing her to wrap around his neck. "You ever wonder what it feels like to be a bullet, Sal?"

"Well...n-no? What does thaaaaaAAAAHHHH!" she trailed off before shrieking.

Sally didn't get the chance to finish her sentence after witnessing Sonic, who finally tapped at that rate of momentum and began zipping across the pathway with Sally screaming through high speed.

"_Yeah, that's pretty much everyone's answer._" Sonic pondered with a cocky smirk, racing down the trail to exit Green Hill Zone.

* * *

Back in Robotropolis, the battle had been witnessed by Snively in front of the computer terminal. He couldn't believe it was a mere hedgehog destroying all of his uncle's work. Although not to say that it was mere, the hedgehog had superhuman speed and agility on his side.

"Sir. The hedgehog has destroyed the Super Badnik Cater-Killer and freed the princess." The short man reported.

Dr. Robotnik was already on the line with Snively, receiving the video playback from the Cater-Killer through the Egg-O-Matic's monitor when the image suddenly ended in violent static, signaling the Super Badnik's destruction. And especially Princess Sally's freedom. Snively knew that Dr. Robotnik wouldn't be pleased and dreaded telling him the horrible results.

A dark frown wrinkled the supreme dictator's face onscreen, "Give me the report on those other Freedom Fighters, Snively. And I want to know which Super Badniks they are stored in."

Snively keypunched in a few instructions into the network and reviewed the green document with texts on the monitor.

"We only have three other Mobians in use for our Super Badnik Horde, sir." the small human answered.

"I'm listening, Snively." Dr. Robotnik said, his dark voice echoing onscreen in the quiet control center.

"You see, they are currently in their positions within each variant that have gotten selected. One Super Badnik shall be patrolling our small Badnik forces in the Marble Zone; a Newtron to be precise." Snively said, uploading an image on Dr. Robotnik's hover-pod as he purred with slight interest.

The picture on the Egg-O-Matic's monitor revealed an enormous Newtron Super Badnik enrolling itself throughout the Marble Zone's area. The Newtron was a chameleon-based Badnik in which is useful to camouflage themselves.

"Then, another Super Badnik will be upholding the Spring Yard Zone; a Crab-Meat as per se," Snively repeated as he uploads yet another image for Dr. Robotnik to inspect.

Thankfully to the evil doctor, Crab-Meats are capable of shooting projectile balls or homing missiles from their claws.

"The final one should already get initiated at the Labyrinth Zone, a full-sized Chopper to give that hedgehog swimming lessons." finished Snively, who closed his eyes and smirked with pride.

During that talk, Dr. Robotnik crossed his arms with a smile. "Oh, this is good. Very, very good indeed," he whispered.

Dr. Robotnik's thoughts suddenly concocted onto something else differently. And just like that, he began tracing his fingers that transcribed repetitively over the cockpit's keyboard. The doctor punched in a secret combination code, setting something up at a competitive rate. Perceiving that Sonic and Princess Sally will become dealt with sooner or later, Dr. Robotnik decided that Snively will have something else to do until needed.

Dr. Robotnik's smile widened at the next thought before he stated, "Snively, I have a new assignment for you."

Both eyes became bug-eyed as the small human faces the evil doctor. "A-A new assignment, sir?" he questioned, hinting a surprised tone in his voice.

In response, Dr. Robotnik hummed and sent a composed file for Snively on the monitor. "Here is a copy of my future project yet to come in a later time. I want you to find out as much as you can about the object inside. I expect its location, history, or anything else that may become valuable to me," he ordered, watching Snively browse through the file onscreen.

Silence came across Snively's mind when he paused, before asking, "D-Doctor, where and how is this possible?"

Dr. Robotnik had already ended the call.

Snively groaned from the annoyance of his uncle's rapid foolishness, soon to ignore the thought as the small human went over the file briefly. The addled expression on Snively's face while his eyes scanned a section within the file's expository texts. One part in particular that included a dwarf planet, appearing every so often above Mobius.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	4. Chapter 4

Somewhere else, sunlight shines all over the forest in the surrounding area with a couple of birds chirping. The wind whipped softly through the trees, as a few woodland creatures instinctively skipped around the bushes.

Here, this was another section of South Island called Marble Zone. An ancient underground complex, immersed with bubbling lava pools and keen-witted dungeons.

Ancient ruins remain lying around, and pits of steaming lava to spring over. Travelers would discover a massive dungeon maze deep underground, made up of tight corridors and filled with traps, dangerous devices, and small puzzles that take up most of this section.

"**YA-A-A-A-AHO-O-O-O-O!**"

The silence got driven off by an audible shout that came alongside high-speed thuds of footsteps. Seconds upon seconds of rapid jogging did very much for Sonic's mood. Especially for the archer princess who held onto Sonic for dear life if not from his tremendous speed.

Right now, Sally was amazed, and better yet surprised by Sonic and how he pulled off a sonic boom. Never had she ever experienced so much wind whizzing over her head as Sonic dashed onward.

They don't call him The Fastest Thing Alive for nothing.

"_This. Is. Insane._" Sally pondered in her thoughts with shock before shouting enough for Sonic to listen, "Do you mind stopping here for a bit!?"

"Sure enough, princess!" Sonic replied to her, "Let me just give this place another second glance before you start feeling your legs again."

The chipmunk girl could only roll her eyes in exasperation, "Sure, more like it's that I can't feel myself entirely."

Sonic smirked while he carried Sally through his haste of burning rubber past a small temple, peering around for the next Chaos Emerald. Not before long, the spiky hedgehog soon skidded his feet that came to a full halt, causing Sally to gasp a bit afterward.

"Just like that, the Hedgehog-Speed-Station has made its first stop on the Marble Zone!" Sonic declared, staring off into the mountainous and forestry region. "Though come to think of it, this place looks like any twists-and-turns carved by a crazed wack job."

Sally was already brought back onto her feet, causing her to feel slightly dizzy and shaken. "Ugh..."

"You okay, Sally?" Sonic asked sheepishly, receiving the chipmunk girl's quiet expression.

Before the blue hedgehog could say anything else, his expression soon dropped to confusion as Sally had begun laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sonic asked, looking confused.

"That was so thrilling!" Sally squealed happily. "The way you broke through the speed of sound was just so incredible!"

"Oh! Uh, hehe," Sonic giggled modestly, "I've always been able to do that sort of thing my entire life. It gets even cooler when you're feeling the breeze in your face and through your hair too!"

Sally tilted her head with a soft smile after ceasing her laughter, "Really, now-?"

Just when Sally walked over, the sloping platform started to catch on fire.

"Whoa!" Sally yelled out before she commenced a backflip, landing on over to another platform.

Sonic jumped away from the flaming platform as well, who quickly noticed Sally again, "Man, that was a close! Sally, upfront!" he warned.

Speedily enough, the princess managed to gain note that the terrace she was on begun to catch fire too. With a hurriedly determined puff, Sally remotely sprinted across each platform with enough speed to not ever get incinerated. Not to mention how Sonic remained still, following how the redhead's enhanced agility played out.

"Whoa," Sonic uttered a single word in awe, almost succumbed with a slacked jaw.

As he watched, Sonic saw the way Sally performed a handstand front flip that maneuvers a twisting somersault. Finally, she landed on the other side with grace, looking back towards the same spot Sonic stayed.

"It looks like _you _need to keep up with _me_, Sonic!" Sally teased back with a smirk and then continues onward.

"Man, talk about watching your step!" Sonic joked, glancing afar towards Sally's direction with a cocky expression.

Using enough of his top speed, Sonic dashed forward, flipping across three more flaming grounds. Not before long, two or three jumping fireballs from the lava pits came about. As Sonic hopped and dodged between the large platforms that slowly bob up and down, he later made his way onto the other side with ease.

"Alright now, time to find Sally before anything-"

***PEW-PEW***

Sonic looked confused, "Huh?"

***BZZZ***

"Great! It looks like I'm going to have to..."

Sonic had trailed off by the sight of Sally getting surrounded by Badniks while dodging. Three Buzz-Bomber were swarming in the air while two Caterkiller were slithering over, with one trying to pounce on her first.

Instead, Sally charged forward and unleashed a dropkick through the first Cater-Killer's face, popping out a tiny critter as it scurries away. Whipping out her bow, Sally was in a perfect position as she lined up her target with two Buzz-Bombers she had to put down.

She fired two arrows, and they both went flying like bullets before hitting the two bee-based Badniks with tremendous speed. The spiky hedgehog showed a sign of interest in the princess' method of handling Badniks, but he also had a lot in store as well.

"Cool moves, princess!" Sonic called out before dashing down and past Sally, causing her to preserve herself. "Let me show you how it's truly done!"

The second Cater-Killer glared over at the speeding hedgehog, "PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG-"

***DANK***

"Whoa, too slow!" Sonic exclaimed, right after he unleashes a sweeping kick to pop off and caught the caterpillar-based head.

Then, using enough energy to spring himself off the ground, Sonic aimed three other Buzz-Bombers before shooting the robot head right after.

***BAM***

***PNK***

***WAM***

After discharging, the caterpillar-based head connected across each Buzz-Bomber in midflight, destroying them instantly as it released three other animals inside. Sonic landed perfectly onto the grassy ground while the critters scampered away, and then Sally came over with a smile.

"Great job, Sonic." Sally complimented.

"Yeah, I'm always the best," Sonic replied, looking at Sally. "But still, where did that come from?"

"What do you mean?" Sally asked.

"That! Back there, with all of that sick parkour and serious spins! That was amazing! Where'd you learn that?" Sonic asked, excitedly wagging his tail.

"Oh, well, one has to learn these things in case there's anything suspicious, and as well as keeping yourself fit throughout future events. Overall, I've always trained to become greater than better as a field leader, as well as Knothole's archer." Sally explained, handling her bow and collecting back arrows as she walked around.

"Oh, really now?" Sonic asked, walking alongside Sally. "Cause to me, you don't act like most princesses, even though I've never met one myself. But hey, it's a start!"

"Don't underestimate people around you, Sonic," Sally said, then gave him an earnest smile. "Besides, I don't really like being called a princess by anyone else. Out here, the only royalty is Mother Nature."

"Heh," Sonic chuckled, "You can say that again. Though, I can see zones like these have a lot more than just plain old grass and water."

"Maybe, but I've heard stories about the Marble Zone here, only I never believed they truly existed. I've heard that every time a group of archaeologists came to the ruins to study them, they got driven off by the traps set inside the dungeon." Sally said, nodding again as she picks carefully through a maze of fallen, scattered blocks.

"Funny, some people say that it was the ghosts of the place that drove them off." Sonic snickered.

Sally couldn't help but give Sonic an incredulous look, "Ghosts? Really?"

Sonic turns to Sally cheekily as he puffed up his chest, looking proud of himself, "But I ain't afraid of no ghosts! I eat ghosts for breakfast. You know what they taste like, Sal?"

Just as Sally could only gesture a mock impression of a palm on her chin, she eventually gave up with a shrug, "Oh well, I give up. What do ghosts taste like then?"

"Boo-Berries!"

Sally's expression soon drops as she seemed unimpressed yet secretly amused for some weird reason, facepalming herself, "Seriously, that was bad. How do you even come up with stuff like this?"

"There's more where that came from! Thank you, thank you," Sonic said, having his eyes closed with a cheesy grin while bowing gentleman-like.

Sally shook her head as she looked down at the ground for a few seconds while Sonic looks away cockily, but upon seeing him look off elsewhere, she smiles at him.

Sonic crossed his arms before he sees some lava nearby. "Weird place to find lava somewhere. Hopefully, you don't get your tail caught on fire for this one, eh Sal?" he said, teasing with a hint of confidence.

"Nothing worse than yours, I suppose?" Sally countered back, looking back at Sonic with a smile.

Almost content in a smug way, she pointed directly at Sonic's slightly wounded tail that recently got chomped by one of Dr. Robotnik's Choppers.

That left Sonic with a small snort before crossing his arms, puffing his cheeks, "Yeah, yeah, whatevs! Aren't we supposed to find your friends here somewhere? Cause I kinda' don't see much around here to do and so forth."

"That's what we're trying to find out, Sonic." Sally issued a stern look at her speedy friend. "Furthermore, we're not even sure if Dr. Robotnik is still roaming around somewhere either than here on South Island."

Sonic then gave a small grin, "Yeah, and will probably be remembered by his reputation as a spoiled egghead."

The princess couldn't help but fail to cover her mouth from all her amusement, giggling, "Sonic, now's not the time for games!"

Sonic waved his hand in dismissal, "Alright, alright. Let's get this place cleaned up in a jiffy. Make sure to keep up, Sal."

Sally crossed her arms with a nod, "Say no more, Sonic."

The duo made their way throughout the zone. But unbeknownst to them, there were two chameleon-type eyes in camouflage that spied on each Mobian.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere within the Marble Zone, Dr. Robotnik flew towards the temple. Underneath his Egg-O-Matic was a capsule and then dropping it nearby the ruins. On the other hand, several critters in the area looked up to see what the evil doctor was doing. Their nature of happiness and peace quickly got killed off as soon as they saw the horrifying grin on the rotund human's face.

"Hehehe! You know..." Dr. Robotnik laughed. "...in every game, there are winners and losers. As you know, the losers become a work of art! Time to teach each all of you what I represent."

A robotic hand out from under the Egg-O-Matic pushed down the button that was on top of the capsule.

The capsule opened, with tractor beams coming out of it and grabbing the small animals. The animals were then pulled towards the capsule until there were none left in the area.

"I represent your extinction, you vermin!" The mad genius shouted that follows in response with a cruel laugh.

The capsule closed up and locked itself.

"Success! No longer will I have to send these critters back to Robotropolis to turn them into Badniks!" Dr. Robotnik said deviously, rubbing his hands together. "That capsule should convert them into my robot army within the next ten minutes."

***BING***

A notification quickly caught onto Dr. Robotnik's ears as he then pushed a button so that he could talk through a com-device.

"What is it now?" The round dictator asked, receiving a reply from the situational report.

{_SUPER BADNIK UNIT REPORTING IN MARBLE ZONE; PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG AND PRINCESS ACORN ARE CURRENTLY OCCUPYING WITHIN THE ZONE. REQUEST TO ATTACK? YES OR NO._}

"Already?!" Dr. Robotnik roared through the com-device, "I was supposed to be finding a Chaos Emerald around here! Where are they now?"

{_FOOTAGE UPLOAD: PROCESSING..._}

As the program got brought onto the hovercraft's screen, it revealed a length of security videotape with Sonic and Sally, to which Dr. Robotnik began to snarl loathly. The area they were wandering through remained decorated with old marble vestiges along with monuments and statues, all of which were overgrown with soiled grass.

Dr. Robotnik continued to watch as the duo jump onto a platform that was in the middle of the lava. However, it began to sink along with the grass as it catches on fire. Although almost pleased for a second or two, Dr. Robotnik notes that Sonic had glanced up to find a Buzz-Bomber flying above him and Sally.

Sonic grabbed Sally close to him as he jumped and grasped onto one while she held onto him. While it tried to shake them both off, Sonic and Sally managed to get on solid ground before he slipped off with the princess.

As Dr. Robotnik's eyes narrowed aside while grumbling cantankerously with his arms crossed, each eyeball soon became the size of dinner plates at what he spotted on the security footage. The princess had a Chaos Emerald of her own.

A red one, to be exact.

"So, it seems that those wretched little rodents have somehow obtained one of those Chaos Emeralds, eh? But how could I have missed one of them when my control panel was already searching through readings?" Dr. Robotnik said, with a hand curled under his chin. "They shouldn't have anywhere else to go, thanks to the lava before them now."

Sonic and Sally were still too far away from the temple and yet had a river of lava blocking them both. From what Sally learned from that hand-held computer she carried, she spotted a cave entrance, leading down and under the lava.

"Hmm, that small computer the princess has. It must be the reason for blocking the emerald's Chaos Energy signature from my hovercraft!" Dr. Robotnik was staring at the screen with unblinking eyes, which was nothing new because a madman like him never blinked. "...though, where have I seen it before?"

And so forth, the duo continued their search inside where the dungeons stayed hidden.

"Grr, I can't let that meddlesome hedgehog ruin my next chance this time." Dr. Robotnik then pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Not only that, but he's also defeated one of my Super Badniks that I've left for him back in Green Hill Zone. Even now that he's got the princess alongside his venture, perhaps if there would be a way to-"

***BEEP-BEEP-BEEP***

"What's this? Have I found one of them?" Dr. Robotnik asked himself as his curiosity had begun to type through his control panel.

{_Chaos Energy: Seventeen-Meters-Ahead._}

From observing the screen that revealed a line target to where the next Chaos Emerald would be, the sinister tyrant slowly began to grin.

"Aha! Yes!" Dr. Robotnik laughed with pleasure, speedily taking control of his Egg-O-Matic, and then hovers onward.

Content that he was starting to make enough build-up to his progress, Dr. Robotnik finally arrived at his destination and hopped down from his hovercraft. He immediately came across the exact spot before him until he saw a yellow glow.

It was another Chaos Emerald. Swiping it off from the ground, Dr. Robotnik grinned with satisfaction from what he has just found. But then again, he just had another idea popped into his brain. One that'll involve destroying that blue pest once and for all.

Dr. Robotnik grinned in his thoughts, "_Sonic and that royal brat are in for quite a surprise._"

Heading back as he had sprung right into his Egg-O-Matic's cockpit, he gave his next order. "Alright, Super Badnik unit; it's time for your next commission..."

The supreme dictator held up the yellow Chaos Emerald, "...and this will be the perfect bait for our little _rat farm_ extermination."

Up and out of its camouflage, there stood an enormous chameleon-based Super Badnik, tilting its head downward into a bow to appeal the mad genius. Although it became powered and energized by the woodland animals from surrounding backgrounds, it also happened to include another shadowy Mobian placed inside its head.

{_AS YOU WISH, DOCTOR ROBOTNIK._}

* * *

"PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG."

The Cater-Killer lunged at Sonic again, who quickly cartwheeled out of the way as it slammed into the ground.

"Heh, looks like I left an impression on Ro-Butt-Nik!" Sonic laughed with glee, then showed a determined face, "Here I come!"

Before it could get back up, Sonic charged forward and skipped straight ahead, outstretching both of his feet and hurling them full force through the Caterkiller's head, creating a dent into it. The caterpillar-based robot induced several sparks before it exploded, freeing a critter as its captive.

The archer princess kept aiming around the area with her wooden bow, picking Badniks off one by one as each of her arrows hit their targets. The bird flew right over to Sally, who heard it's happily chirping as she watched. While Mobians didn't speak their language, the princess had a good feeling of what was transpiring.

"Don't worry, little one," Sally said, using a finger to nuzzle the little bird's cheek. "Sonic and I are going to save the others that Robotnik has trapped."

The bird let out a grateful chirp before flitting away, leaving Sally, who grew lost in thought. The archer princess decided to get herself busy by collecting reusable arrows, but some have a chance of breaking. Just by looking back at those previously destroyed Badniks, it made the princess seem a bit _homesick_.

Initially, Sally had been crossing her arms against her chest for quite some time now, staring up inside the cave's rough and dark ceilings. In addition to that, she couldn't help but think back when things were in harmony, especially the little time she had with her father.

Realizing her thoughts, Sally quickly shook her head when she knew not to dwell so much on the past sometimes as she was trying to move ahead into the future for not only her kingdom but the world.

"Yo, Sal!" Sonic's voice called out to her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, huh?" Sally blinked as she glances over to where Sonic waved, "I'm coming!"

After the redhead united back with Sonic, he then proceeds to take note of Sally's weird behavior, but he decides to let it slide for now until they find a way to the other side.

They jogged ahead throughout the cave, looking within the pitch-black atmosphere. Even though it became way too dark for any of them to see through, but for this reason, Sally quickly pulled out Nicole for her to boot up an encoded flashlight.

Sonic eventually gave the princess a thumbs-up, "Way to _brighten up_ the scene, Nicole."

Sally rolled her eyes at Sonic's bad pun, "Come on, Sonic. Let's see if we-"

***EEE-EEE***

Suddenly, multiple eyes appeared from the darkness.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed, recoiling as multiple bat-based Badniks flew out.

These were called Bat-Brains.

"PRIORITY ONE HEDGEHOG," the Bat-Brains all chattered, flying towards Sonic and Sally to attack.

"Wow," Sonic said flatly. "Guessing I feel _so _much popular right now, my hedgehog nerves have gotten shot."

"I don't think boasting about yourself is going to solve this, Sonic," Sally remarked, cautiously watching the bat-based robots fly around.

"Hey! In any case, I'm flattered," Sonic replied with a snicker. "Besides, it ain't my fault they're driving you so _batty_."

"Oh, brother," Sally groaned in exasperation.

As the Bat-Brains circled them, Sally watched as Sonic jumped into the air, tucking himself into a ball of destruction before ramming into all of the Bat-Brains one-by-one. After destroying them, Sally did her very best to catch every captive critter within, who were all happily thanking her before fleeing.

"Man," Sonic muttered to himself as he crossed his arms, "Just how many critters did Ro-Butt-Nik change already?"

"I'm not sure myself, Sonic," Sally said calmly, though her voice showed hints of wariness. "Let's just hope for the best that my friends are okay."

Sonic regarded again before talking boldly, "We'll get them back in no time, princess. You leave it to me when we knock down Eggman's door."

"I know, I know. It's not that I doubt anything of your skills, Sonic. It's just the idea of what Robotnik's plotting to do with them during this mission." Sally quickly interjected, not spotting the signs of rising irritation in the blue hedgehog.

Sonic sighed as he eyed the princess, walking next to her with a hand on her shoulder. Promptly, Sally noticed discerningly of Sonic's sudden caring manner, in which regards as a rare action to convert from the blue speedster.

"Aw, lighten up, Sally. Worrying about the problem too much isn't doing much for you. Besides, whether or not these friends of yours are capable of themselves, they'll still be okay for the better. Because by the time we rescue them and trash Egghead's sorry butt back to his pit of broodiness, I'll be sure you're smiling on the way back." Sonic finished with one of his signature smirks.

Sally took in all of Sonic's words like a bowl of alphabet soup; a small smile got gained for Sonic's declaration. Never in the world, besides anyone else in the Freedom Fighters, has ever told anything that expressed very much. Afterward, Sally's worries began to fade for now as she gave Sonic a quick nod.

"Thank you for caring, Sonic," Sally said, who was sounding extremely relieved. "We better get a move on through the dungeons inside. I'll have Nicole lead us through the direction, in case."

"Cool!" Sonic said, and then pumped a fist before dashing past her, leaving her behind. "The last one there is a rotten Egghead!"

"I'll show you _rotten_, hedgehog!" Sally said playfully as she runs after the speedy hedgehog throughout the dungeon.

And boy, the dungeon is a different story entirely.

The place remained loaded with traps, many of the spiked variations, as well as switches and obstacles to advance. Although it all hadn't interrupt Sonic and Sally's "_little race_" at the moment, they were sure to keep each of their cautions from the crushing devices here. Sonic sprinted and jumped past the extensive green glass crushers that would kill anyone instantly.

Meanwhile, Sally, with the help of Nicole, continued making through up and down a few floors. Using the drop weights and spiked bars on chains, Sally figured it could get used as a platform boost to take to a higher pathway, but is very suspicious of their ability to eliminate her as well. They would suddenly drop down or into the ceiling, as they gradually raise the chain.

After having no difficulty of climbing her way into the level Sonic was at, Sally observed the flow of lava far ahead until she saw the blue speedster.

Sonic looked behind him, "Glad to see you kept up, princess."

Sally crossed her arms with her eyes rolled at Sonic, "Really, Sonic? I know I was in on it, but we could've stayed together earlier."

"Aw, come on, Sal! We were only playing around in this zone's trapline, and we made it through the middle thanks to yours truly." Sonic said, crossing his arms with a cocky smirk.

Sally blinked rapidly before shaking her head, "But Sonic, we need to find a way to get past this lava river. Have you ever thought of that?"

Sonic tapped a finger on his head, thinking carefully. "Good point, but the hedgehog's got a few more tricks in its shoes."

Sally smirked smugly, looking unconvinced. "Let's hear it. I could go for a good laugh."

Sonic smiled back at her challengingly before searching around, "We should find anything mondo slidable for us to balance on and earn ourselves a bonus pass to the next part."

For once, Sally almost became speechless before speaking to Sonic, "Huh, not a bad idea. How would you have known?"

Sonic began to open his mouth when speaking but soon closed it when his mind began to think wisely about sharing his past life, especially when it comes to people like Dr. Kintobor or Uncle Chuck.

Sonic gestures a finger to his head, "Let's just say a hedgehog's got to use its brainpower once in a while, now, am I cool or what?"

"You're _what_!" Sally laughed, rolling her eyes before smacking his arm playfully.

Sonic had already rubbed his arm, "Ha, rude!"

Not before long, Sally searched around with Sonic for any floatable object they could make usage. Sonic then points right towards an enormous green block nearby the lava river, motioning Sally to come over and help him push. Simply after the duo had forced the block into the lava, Sonic carried Sally within a bridal form before leaping onto its surface.

"Looks like this will take us a while, and you know I hate slowing down," Sonic said, looking at Sally who held against him.

"You'll just have to be patient, Sonic."

Sonic could only feel the sweat drip from the fur that curled on his forehead, chuckling to Sally, "Whew, is it out in here, or is it just you?"

"S-Sonic! It's hardly the time or place to tease around here!" Sally's responded, with a mere blush on her face where she smiled inadvertently, eyes trailing away from the blue hedgehog's own.

***BURRR***

Sonic and Sally turned their heads around for the sound, only for occasional bursts of bubbling lava to propel them up high into the air.

"WHOA NOW!"

"AIEEE!"

At a moment of instinct, Sonic's eyes quickly spotted a nearby ledge as he leaped up to land safely upon. After Sonic lets Sally back onto her feet, she flips out Nicole to find another Chaos Emerald for a second.

"Any sign of a Chaos Emerald yet, Nicole?" asked Sally.

{_Unfortunatly, not yet, Sally-_}

***BEEP-BEEP-BEEP***

{_I am detecting a sign of Chaos Energy. The Chaos Emerald is somewhere inside this part of the __underground__._}

Sonic then smirked, "Then what are we standing around for? Let's rock-n-roll!"

With that said, Sonic and Sally made their way towards a few other traps within the dungeon. The duo pushed against a block onto a switch, which allows an enormous weight to elevate for access down into the lower floor.

Sonic did a bowing gesture to Sally, "After you, madam!"

The princess shook her head in hilarity before speaking, "Why, thank you."

As Sonic and Sally jumped down, they were only to be met with a wall of lava.

"Oh, crud!" Sally exclaimed.

"Time to run!" Sonic shouted aloud.

Sonic grabbed and carried Sally away as the lava chased them down the corridor. Sonic looked up to see a platform, causing him to jump up and grab the ledge with Sally still in his other arm. Speedily with ease, Sally climbed her way over to start pulling Sonic up to get away from the lava.

Only for this act of Sally's causes the blue hedgehog to slip his way on top of the archer princess, causing the two to start blushing up a storm from each other's presence. Both of their faces were a mere inch from one another, with Sonic's breath reaching her muzzle.

"Uh..." was what Sonic managed to say.

The two Mobians looked at one another perplexed, almost frozen in place as they just stared at one another. Sally didn't know what to say or even what to think. She wanted to tell him to get off, but for whatever reason, she couldn't make up the words, like her mind was blank. Sally felt a presence on her hand, looking to see his hand interlocked with hers. If her blush wasn't visible yet, her face had now gone full-blown red.

"Ah..." was what Sally also managed to say.

Sonic winced in slight pain as he moved. "You alright, Sal?" he asked, trying not to show the same kind of reaction she had to the contact.

But before Sally began to speak, they found themselves face to face with a Cater-Killer.

"Um," Sonic asked a bit, "You think we can talk this out?"

The Cater-Killer snarled before it starts attacking, causing Sonic to sprint and roll through the caterpillar-based Badnik, freeing a critter.

"Well, I guess not."

Sonic looked over, reaching his hand out for Sally to grab onto and pulled her up. "Thanks for the save there, Sal. You're not hurt, are you?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Oh! N-no," she spoke, but weakly. "Just a slight bump from our impact there, you know. Nothing to worry about-!"

After Sally sees the small animal retreat, she later spots a strange glow from an open place. It was another Chaos Emerald, but why would it be out in the open?

"There's the Chaos Emerald, but shouldn't the Badniks have already found it in a spot like this?" Sally asked, expressing loads of suspicion.

"Heh, winning points for us, I guess." Sonic chortled, walking over to pick up the yellow gemstone. "Well, that wasn't so hard."

"That's because it was planted here, rodents..." A voice called out, snickering.

Both Sonic and Sally jumped in surprise as they gasped. Their eyes gazed over to observe the Egg-O-Matic floating above, piloted by Dr. Robotnik, who bestows his deranged sneer.

"...and now, it's rather obvious to see you here with the hedgehog too, princess." finished Dr. Robotnik, who glared down at the two Mobians who are eager for another fight.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


	5. Chapter 5

"...and now, it's rather obvious to see you here with the hedgehog too, princess."

Fixating their eyes directly at the evil Dr. Robotnik, Sonic and Sally kept their distance as cautiously as they could. Sally's face kept her usual glare upon this exact moment where she has become face to face with the human responsible for not only Mobius' calamity but also the downfall of her father's kingdom, once to have been called _her _home.

Meanwhile, Sonic's expression was a mixture of excitement and inconvenience for the situation here now. Although he still felt the occasional need with stopping the madman that used to be _his _friend, he can't help but become slightly agitated enough to at least consult with Dr. Robotnik once more.

Dr. Robotnik was presently raising one of his signature smile at the two Mobians, which prompted them both to pull a face upon the now-unintimidated doctor. A moment later, Dr. Robotnik was looking expectantly down at Sally.

"Now then, Princess Sally!" Dr. Robotnik said, "Where is it? Where is the other Chaos Emerald? I know you've still obtained one somehow!"

In his bold and cockily behavior, Sonic huffed loudly at this wild guess from Dr. Robotnik in case if there were ever Badniks following him and Sally. At this point, she began consulting in a dirty look as the archer princess held her bowstring with an arrow loaded.

"Tell me where my friends are first, you miserable creep!" Sally shouted audibly for the bloated human to start chuckling at her impatience.

"Such rudeness coming from the likes of you, princess. Ha-ha-ha!" Dr. Robotnik snickered, leaning down to face Sally. "Your friends are not far away from here, but you will join them awaiting a similar fate!"

Just before Sally could speak again, Sonic comes in front of her with his arms crossed, "Does the phrase, '_go suck a lemon_' hold any meaning for you, Butt-Nik? And besides, your crummy Super Badnik didn't have much to offer as a threat with your so-called edginess. What more below average plots could you do against the two of us?"

Dr. Robotnik growled slightly before clearing his throat, "Still deriding me with that scurrilous ego of yours, eh? You both have yet to discover my abundance of greatness, you wretched hedgehog and girl! Surely enough, it's time you allow me to suggest your next move." he said, pushing down a button from the Egg-O-Matic's cockpit.

Suddenly dropping all the down to where Sonic and Sally stood, the blue hedgehog zipped to one side with Sally in hands as a capsule almost crushed them. Instantly feeling cautious, the two Mobians glared up at the insane human while Sonic kept a smug face.

"It looks like the hedgehog had just made his move already, Eggman." he challenged, who was always looking for ways to pester Dr. Robotnik's choices.

"Oh, of course, but I beg to differ," Dr. Robotnik grinned, motion-controlling his hovercraft in reverse backward before leaving. "My next move is _bigger_ than you imagine!"

"And what's that supposed to mean-?" Sally asked through annoyance until the capsule busted open, releasing a hasty horde of Badniks in variety.

Caterkillers.

***HISS***

Bat-Brains.

***EE-EE***

Buzz-Bombers.

***BZZZ***

"Well, well, well," Sonic said, trying to make light of the tension as he popped his knuckles. "It looks like the welcome wagon's finally rolled out to greet us with some bad biscuits."

"Is now really the time to make jokes, Son..." Sally was asking before interrupted by a burst of blazing speed from the spiky speedster, making her deadpan. "...ic?"

"It's time to roll on these fools. Dinner-Roll style!" said Sonic, arrogantly.

He skittered towards and rolled himself into a buzzing blue ball at the first vary of Caterkillers. When their attacker was right upon them, with only seconds until it was too late, Sonic bashed right through. The spiky hedgehog lunged onto another one of the caterpillar-based Badniks, hurting himself in the process, but sent metallic parts flying everywhere.

Sonic seized a few pieces, darting them at some additional Badniks, damaging them with such ease. Pulling any arrow out of the quiver on Sally back, she aimed at the closet targets around. In less than ten seconds, a few numbers of Bat-Brains had one arrow embedded in each of them, destroyed in the process.

Moving forward, Sally ran across the sum pile of Badnik remains and saw the woodland critters sprinting out of them to escape. She saw her chance to follow behind where Sonic was fighting Buzz-Bombers, but as she listened to the sounds of pitch shrieks, she recognized that the critters were getting chased by many Bat-Brains.

"Sonic!" Sally shouted aloud with both hands; pointed to the direction where the Bat-Brains glided. "The critters are getting chased by those Badniks!"

"You don't say?!" Sonic yelled and then yelped as he dodges more of the Buzz-Bombers, busily saying, "Crap! Alright, now I'm starting to get ticked off here!"

With that said, Sonic pulled himself back slightly, then springs up to spin his way through the first Buzz-Bomber and destroyed it. Using enough effort with his foot upon a rocky wall, Sonic kicks rearward to zip across the air like a bolt of lightning and bounced on the second Buzz-Bomber towards Sally.

The princess herself was currently snatching a few cave stones nearby, channeling the strength and distance upon her aim. She threw as hard as she could, knocking one of the Bat-Brains down before it exploded to the ground.

"Nice throwing arm you got there, Sal," Sonic commented with a smirk as he appeared alongside her with his hand out. "But why don't we see just how useful it is spiking some of Butt-Nik's bot-breaths!"

Sally looked at Sonic seriously before grabbing his hand with a determined smile, "Sonic, I'm going to need you to shoot me up there!"

"Aw yeah!" Sonic beamed, "That's what I'm talking about!"

He ran alongside with Sally on his other hand, though he couldn't help but feel comfortable while his gloved hand intertwined to hers. They kept their gazes forward while Sonic took in the sight of a cave wall, connecting upwards to where two Bat-Brain chased the critters below.

Then, gathering enough speed, Sonic dashed up the rugged cave surfaces with Sally holding onto his hand firmly. Jumping across the area where the two Bat-Brains flew, all of Sonic's speed was used by spinning like a tornado and shot Sally straight for a Bat-Brain.

Sally clung to the top of the bat-based Badnik, making it whisk below and up repeatedly in a spiral movement. She held on with all her strength, but the Bat-Brain soon shook her after, trying to fling her away. However, Sally began to grunt as she tugged and strained, with Nicole out in her hand to aim a laser dot upon the Bat-Brain's head.

Piercing a laser through the Bat-Brain's head, Sally quickly flung herself upward by using the bat-based Badnik's left-wing as time slowed down for her. Sonic had already landed only to witness Sally's spiral maneuver, watching the rock in her gloved hand shoot across and destroyed the other Bat-Brain.

"Whoa..." was all Sonic would say.

Awestruck, Sonic felt mind-blown upon Sally, amazed by her acrobatics and right-timings a lot more than previously. As Sonic noticed the chipmunk girl descending midair, it wasn't long before the spiky blue hedgehog left his shock and rushed towards the exact spot where he jumped, catching Sally in his arms bridal style.

"Gotcha there, princess!" Sonic grinned with satisfaction, "See, I told ya' that you've got some sick throwing-arm skills! Especially that twirl you just did back there."

"I appreciate that Sonic," Sally acknowledged before mentioning, "but we also have some small animals to be looking for."

"Say no more, Sal," Sonic reassured.

Once his feet hit the ground, Sonic zoomed right over with Sally holding on to where the little critters are currently hiding for cover from any possible danger. Fortunately enough, each one was relieved that their two heroes have come to check on them. A few birds and chickens chirruped with delight as Sonic and Sally both smiled at each other for their combined teamwork.

***BZZZ***

Several more Buzz-Bombers were racing their way across and at the two Mobians, causing a few other critters to scamper away in fright for their lives.

"We'll just need to get past some of these Buzz-Bombers and find the doctor before he does some more damage." Sally commented, looking at Sonic, "Are you ready?"

Sonic was glowering back before one of his casual grins popped out for him to get ready while Sally aimed with her bow and arrow.

"I was built for this sort of action, Sal." The blue hedgehog retorted with a smug wink. "Always have and always will!"

To string themselves back where Dr. Robotnik is fleeing, they needed to get through these bee-based Badniks without any mishaps. Sonic and Sally rushed on over just as the Buzz-Bomber began to use their stingers to fire rail detonators.

"Buzz on this, goon-bots!" Sonic yelled as he curls up into a ball and pinballs at two of the Buzz-Bombers like a shooting star.

With Sally fighting against the other Buzz-Bombers, she quickly dodged sideways from numerous points by the bee-based Badniks. Sally pulled on the bowstring and shot off two arrows through a couple of Buzz-Bombers, struggling to reload quickly. But she still had a better idea.

"This better work," Sally said shakily before pulling out the trusty handheld computer herself. "Nicole, stimulate laser beam!"

{_Stimulating, Sally. Aim at each direct target._}

She used Nicole's laser to pierce through one of the Buzz-Bombers in the head, destroying it as the quivering robot crashed down. Having her sights locked onto the other Buzz-Bomber, it suddenly charged right in front of Sally, causing her to bolt back in a reflex. The princess mustered up all her energy and flipped backward as quickly as she could to point Nicole's laser at the bee-based Badnik. The laser beam darted right through the last Buzz-Bomber effectively, making Sally smile in such triumph.

Abruptly, Sonic zipped before skidding right next to Sally with a fist pump motion. "Alright, Sal! I'd say you've handled yourself mondo off the charts in my book," said Sonic enthusiastically.

Despite appearing nice from the appreciation, while collecting back her arrows, Sally ran past the blue hedgehog in a hurried tone, "Thank you, Sonic. Come on! We need to catch up on tracking down Robotnik's hovercraft!"

"Oh, I knew that," Sonic replied sheepishly until he just as well followed alongside Sally past the empty capsule and onward.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Egg-O-Matic, Dr. Robotnik had his timid nephew's face appearing online from Robotropolis within the cockpit's medium-sized screen. He was currently piloting his hovercraft past a couple of protruding spikes from the dungeon's ceilings. The supreme dictator had just received such ramifications of how Snively's assignment had gone through, with him listening to every word the short human had to offer.

And boy, Dr. Robotnik was annoyed by the results.

"Grrr, what do you mean we'll have to wait for another few months, Snively?!"

It was supposed to be a simple objective; tracking down the Chaos Emeralds and lecture Snively for not being able to get the simplest things through his head; mark Snively with a tempting assignment to further the empire's plans. Once the Chaos Emeralds come to the mad doctor, he'd take them all for its glorious power. But of course, Dr. Robotnik hadn't accounted for that thrice-damned rodent, Sonic.

Not only had Sonic somehow escaped the Super Badnik that Dr. Robotnik stationed to deal with him, but now the princess had prevented the human from finding one of the Chaos Emeralds she kept to herself. Especially the minor destruction of his Badnik Horde with Sonic on her side.

{_T-That has become the dwarf planet's calculated appearance, sir. Thanks to its geostationary orbit, it only happens to come down in the skies above Never Lake once a year._}

Despite listening to the short lackey's hypothesis, according to be precise, Dr. Robotnik still questioned harshly, "And just how many months would it take for this _Miracle Planet_ to arrive on Mobius?"

{_O-Okay, sir._} Snively gulped, recognizing the tone in his uncle's voice. {_According to several of our computations, we've estimated that the Miracle Planet's arrival on Mobius should be within about...two or three months from here on out._}

The bloated human doesn't reply. He solely gazed at his nephew in the screen, with his pince-nez glasses taken off by his gloved hand, revealing nothing but obscurity within this mere demon that is called Robotnik.

Snively himself on-screen was paling further at the horrible sight of real evil. There was nothing funny about his eyes; pitch-black with the dots of red. Just when Snively could have thought of something else, Dr. Robotnik's eyes twinkled as a smile bloomed on his face.

"Certainly substandard yet decent results, Snively." Dr. Robotnik said scornfully, staring at Snively on-screen for a moment before turning his disdainful gaze back to the side. "My two sufferers will be arriving on the way here soon."

{_S-Sir, wouldn't the Badnik Horde had already gotten rid of those two by now-?_} Snively trailed off to voice his opinion.

But Dr. Robotnik beats him to it. "You really must be lacking some common sense, dear nephew. Those two rodents would've gotten past a few of my simplest Badniks anyhow. That's why it was supposed to be a diversion and keep them busy." he remarked with a cold snort as he stretched his hand up to put his pince-nez glasses back on.

{_I-I see what you're trying to say, sir._} Snively commented as he looked up at the mad doctor on-screen with a secretly annoyed mumble, {W_asteful dead load._}

Dr. Robotnik quirked his face forward, zooming in on the short lackey on-screen, "Pardon me, Snively?"

Snively starts leaning away in his chair with shock, {_O-Oh, I said your objectivity is respectfully f-flowed on giving those furry louts what they deserve, sir._}

At that moment, Dr. Robotnik crossed his arms with a snicker, which earned a dull face from Snively. "Very good to see how functional that thick head of yours is, Julian. And besides, I know what I'm doing." The rotund human said as he grinned, gesturing a finger poke on his bald head.

{_You're welcome, sir._} Snively replied scornfully, sighing in relief before asking, {_They still have the two Chaos Emeralds, Dr. Robotnik. Their capabilities with each Emerald's power against yours could be a disadvantage in some way. What if-?_}

"Oh, shut your brooding, Snively! No one and that means _no one_ inhabiting this here island gets to take any Chaos Emerald except _me_!" Dr. Robotnik shouted at the miniature human, who looked taken back by his uncle's outburst.

Snively looked like he was about to say something more, and if Dr. Robotnik wanted, he could predict what it was, but he didn't want to hear or see it. So the beaming dictator pressed on. Dr. Robotnik wanted the short human to know just how much he has done to make situations more sardonic.

"It will be no matter because those rapscallions won't get the opportunity to reign that same triumph against what I have waited just for their puny little bodies to get pulverized." Dr. Robotnik said as images of Sonic and Sally becoming flatten pancakes flashed through his mind.

"By the time they're done for, every single Chaos Emerald will be right in the palm of my hand. HAHAHAHA~!" The overweight human finished explaining with extended laughter, raising one fist before pumping it rhythmically.

Snively looked a bit disturbed at the Dr. Robotnik's childlike villainy only responded, {_Whatever you say, Dr. Robotnik._}

From this point onward, Dr. Robotnik proceeds to press a button as it closes the facetime monitor, making Snively's appearance become static on-screen. The supreme scientist then removes his hands from the cockpit and cups his chin with a hum.

Although Snively could be on about Dr. Robotnik trying to obtain the Chaos Emeralds without getting an amateur Mobian beatdown, the mad doctor surely wasn't going to give the two gemstones up that quickly.

If Dr. Robotnik knew how he was going to separate the Chaos Emeralds from the likes of that meddlesome hedgehog and that brat of a princess, there's no doubt that he needs his Super Badnik to split those two apart from getting any aid with each other.

Dr. Robotnik couldn't help but smirk at his idea, "While that hedgehog is more demanding for action and conflict, it might just work perfectly-!"

But a familiar cocky voice interrupted him, "Perfectly enough to kick some Egg-Butt!"

Dr. Robotnik shook his head out of thought before glaring in the direction of that same annoying voice. On each side, where Sonic and Sally stood forth, the duo had finally caught up to the evil genius himself. Sally determinedly pulled an arrow back with the bowstring and aimed it right at the villain, while Sonic stood there with his arms crossed and a cocky smirk glued on his face. Dr. Robotnik turned his hovercraft around to meet his two latest conundrums he'd come across before.

"This madness stops now, Robotnik!" Sally demanded, insisting on stopping the same madman that came and overthrew her kingdom long ago. "Your Badniks weren't much intimidation for you to nag on about. Give up my friends now or face the consequences."

Sonic chimed in as well, "You tell him, Sal. Eggman won't know what'll hit him."

"Well then, princess, you typical rats seemed to have not regarded the situation you're in for at this moment! Those Chaos Emeralds will be good as mine!" Dr. Robotnik said in a confident tone of voice, pedaling along on his Egg-O-Matic.

"Sure, they will~" Sonic teased with his hands on the hips, "How are you going to do that? Torture us with a telepath mind control device? Threaten animals or what's left of them somewhere else? Look, before you start breaking into song, find some genuine thoughts that could process for once, Egghead!"

"Sonic," Sally warned in an innocent voice, concealing some not-so-innocent thoughts. "You're only appeasing his thoughts in this situation."

"Appeasing?" Sonic replied with his eyes looking determined, "I'm just giving Butt-Nik here a piece of a real whip-smart mind at making better ideas. Besides, what's he got that'll drag us down to his edge?"

Sally rubbed her face from the forehead down. "It's probably another one of those Super Badniks that I was trapped inside. But that isn't going to stop me from getting _all_ of my friends back, not without you, Sonic." She turned to glare at Dr. Robotnik looking down at them from the Egg-O-Matic, crossing his arms.

"Now you're talking, Sal." Sonic grinned with anticipation and approached the hovercraft with Sally alongside him, preparing for another fight.

Dr. Robotnik frowned at some of the suggestions, keeping one in mind for any plans in possible futures before speaking, "Oh, how cunning both of you, but this one should give you both a real spook if you know what I mean. Why not take it away, my gargantuan creation!"

"Spook me, you middle-aged kook?" Sonic stared at the madman for a second before laughing out loud. "Like that'll be the day, so where is another one of your big..."

***VWOOP***

Both Sonic and Sally halt to turn their heads to each other until scrolling their eyes up and saw an enormous-looking Super Badnik camouflaged upside down on the rocky ceiling behind them the entire time. It was a Newtron, a chameleon-based robot bested for Dr. Robotnik's orders.

"...boys?" Sonic finished with a blink of surprise.

"Oh, crap." cursed Sally, fearfully.

Slowly yet heavily, the Super Badnik's mouth began to open wide as the two Mobians caught sight of a bright dot inside. The Newtron spewed out a massive ball of energy from its mouth directed at Sonic and Sally.

"DODGE!" Sonic shouted out loud as he sprung into action.

The speedy hero grabbed Sally and narrowly avoided getting annihilated under the gleaming projectile as he used his feet to dart the chipmunk girl and himself out to the side. The energy ball burst down towards the targeted spot, causing a gigantic explosion as it blew everything into pieces.

Parts of the Marble Zone's dungeon began to shake from the explosive impact, with all there was visibly showing thick dust carried in the air. At this point, Sonic and Sally coughed, covering their mouths and trying not to stir up more grime that would make them hack repeatedly.

"Sally...***cough* *cough***...where-!?" Sonic tried to speak but was too busy coughing roughly.

Sally held back the coughing fit until tears ran down her face and the urge finally passed. Meanwhile, Sonic desperately wanted to take a deep breath, but he dared not for fear of inhaling more mildew and dry powder.

They would _NOT_ come all this way only to succumb to it now.

The duo couldn't wipe their eyes without rubbing grime into them. Their face and appearances were so filthy. They had given up wiping their nose as well. Sally was the first to creep forward again, crawling on her stomach, mostly using her arms and shoulders to pull herself along.

With her eyes slightly narrowed, the princess begins to spot one yellow-glowing object that looked way too familiar until it hit her. Sally had dropped a Chaos Emerald.

Sally's head whipped to the side before checking to see if the red Chaos Emerald had been lost. Alone for her to receive a reddish glow at her eyes, which prompt the princess thankful enough that the gemstone had not escaped her grasp.

"Sonic, one of our Chaos Emeralds was dropped nearby!" Sally informed loudly, turning back to check where Dr. Robotnik had disappeared. "The doctor is gone! We need to hurry!"

"Grrr, this stuff is ticking me off! Time to make some room for a little flurry of air!" Sonic declared with a grin, twisting his body for his next move.

With an extended spinning ability, Sonic starts whirling a lot longer and faster tornado to produce wind and blast all of the dust particles clear. Sonic continues to spin around the dungeon, knocking over rocks and slicing against stone walls.

The blue and white tornado soon concludes into a full halt, where Sonic's eyes became jumbled in between one another like a disorganized mess with comedic noises. He felt dizzy but shook the feeling off and steadied himself and his conjoined eyes.

Just as the powdered dust in midair faded away, Sally starts using her body to get back up quickly and reach for the yellow gemstone. However, a mechanical hand appears from out of nowhere towards the yellow Chaos Emerald. It snatches the jewel off the ground, handing it to Dr. Robotnik, who had his cockpit enclosed by the glass all around.

"Hey! Give it back!" Sally shouted in surprise as Sonic looked over in shock, gritting his teeth in anger before hearing the evil genius laughing at them inside the Egg-O-Matic.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What did I tell you sooner, hedgehog?" Dr. Robotnik asked, his voice had a lot more scorn to it than previously. "Just maybe that you should be the one to have _real_ thoughts for once every while!"

Sally clenched her hands into fists before noticing Sonic walking alongside next to her. His expression darkens a bit at the mad genius who just so happens to snap his fingers.

"Now then, princess, hand over the other gem!" Dr. Robotnik glared at Sally, who starts to aim an arrow at him again.

"Never in a million years, you scum," Sally growled at him, causing Sonic to whistle as a sign of becoming impressed.

"You heard the lady, Butt-Nik. You'll be on your last legs a lot worse when Sally's involved kicking your egg-patootie off to next week!" said Sonic, smirking.

"Oh, I would love to linger and chat with you, my old friend..." Dr. Robotnik said with his arms crossed, causing Sonic's smirk to drop slightly while Sally felt somewhat confused by what the mad doctor means.

Sally blinked in her thoughts, "_Old friend? What does he mean by that comment?_"

"...but I have a conquest to develop with the use of such excellent findings. In the meantime, Newtron here will keep you both quite a company until you give up my emerald." finished Dr. Robotnik, who starts flying off inside the Egg-O-Matic.

Newtron groaned as it turns back into its camouflaged form, shrouding within the eyes of its two enemies. While this was going on, Sonic did his best to puff up with pride, dashing in front of Sally.

She looked at Sonic staggered before speaking up, "Sonic, what are you-?"

But the speedy blue hedgehog soon interrupts, "I'm going to buy you some time while I go up against wherever gecko-head is hiding! You go on ahead and give Butt-Nik some major Freedom-Fighting Ass-Kicking for me, okay?"

Despite the danger they were in, Sally knew she couldn't wait for Sonic to catch Dr. Robotnik. "Okay, but whoever is inside that Super Badnik, make sure they're alright for me, you got that?" she said.

"You got that, princess!" Sonic copied, blasting off like a bullet in motion, and sprints around in hopes of clobbering a giant super-robot.

As Sally chose her moment to begin chasing after Dr. Robotnik's trace, Sonic continued seeking throughout the entire area for the monstrous Newtron. It was hard to tell where it was when the Super Badnik has camouflaged due to the dungeon's dark color. Either way, that wasn't going to stop the speedy hero from trying his best to make estimates on kicking this super robot's bolted tooshie.

For the next few minutes, Sonic quickly placed more distance in the center of the dungeon so he can try and formulate a plan to attack next.

"_Okay, this Super Badnik can go invisible and shoot massive energy balls out of its mouth, so maybe there has to be a way for me to try and mess with its bolt-brain for the time being. That way, I'll make sure it gets what's coming and save one of Sally's friends inside._" Sonic ponders in his mind before carefully making the first step.

***BVMM***

The dungeon lit up in pink and purple as an energy ball came assailing after Sonic, who quickly avoided another powerful attack from the giant Newtron and used his vastly superior speed to dodge through a few protruding rocks coming from beneath. Slowly but rapidly, the hedgehog accelerated much further and sprung up to the air in an attempt to use his Spin Attack.

***SMACK***

Sadly, Sonic was beginning to receive shunning blows from the camouflaged Newtron's extending tail, having the blue speedster sent flying into the ground and landed with a heavy thud.

"Now, _that_...was cheating!" Sonic grunted, gritting his teeth in pain as he felt his senses flare again. "Where'd it go-oh, crap!"

He looked up behind to see the revealed Super Badnik coming down towards him with its mouth exposed and ready to blast him. Sonic quickly brought himself up by his hands and sprung away from the being with enough speed to start running off, halting the robotic monster's descent and chases after Sonic by morphing itself into a rocket mode.

Sonic looked back, only to let out a yelp of surprise before speedily boosting his way onward with two feet and had to scan the surroundings he's entered so far. The soaring Newtron behind Sonic made several more attempts to scatter energy spheres after its blue target. Sonic made an effort to sprint across in a curved motion on the center, turning around to run backward. He looked over at the Super Badnik above with his tongue out, mocking it.

"Come on, gecko-head! You got to be a lot quicker than that!" Sonic shouted out loud with a clap of his hands before returning to his standard direction.

During those several tries of shooting down the blue hedgehog, who just kept avoiding at all costs as well as his entertainment, the Newtron's awareness became alert as it glares over in the distance. It recognized the cave walls to use as a dead-end for Sonic while he was unintentionally zipping his way onward. With no further due, the rocketing Super Badnik exposes its mouth until blaring out a wide beam of light, slicing through the identical hollow walls like butter.

"Aww, now what?" Sonic scorned with a fake smirk, his eyes gleaming until speaking with determination, "JUICE TIME!"

While the Newtron may have confirmed itself to have a plan against Sonic, the speedy hero knew just exactly what to do for this situation. Already pushing his risk further, Sonic managed to zig-zag around a few crushing chunks of boulders from above, bouncing and connecting up against the rock-like surfaces until Sonic came racing upward.

The Newtron kept its gaze upon Sonic, desiring to destroy the blue hedgehog aggressively as possible.

***CRASH***

Unknowingly proceeding across, the Newtron left its attention in the front before impacting against the cave walls, reeling back uncontrollably a bit in rocket form. The Super Badnik's bug-eyed pupils wobbled around but shook away the feeling, quickly scoping around the cave-like scenery.

While the Newtron made numerous attempts to track on what became of its blue target...

***BANG***

...only to receive a slight malfunction within the cranium area for some reason...

***BONK***

...as if something inside had suddenly gotten loose.

Rushing upside down above the cave ceilings, Sonic's view abruptly drew over to where the Newtron was groaning and saw it's head getting bashed somehow from the inside. Rapidly enough, Sonic gained a lightbulb above his head, believing it to be that one of Sally's friends has broken out, but just barely enough for themselves to shred right through.

"Looks like I better make use of myself before giving one of Sal's friends the grand intro!" Sonic exclaimed to himself before spinning into a ball and dashed at light speed downward.

Finally descending on top of the struggling Newtron, its sensors suddenly picked up on Sonic's energy signature before flying all over the place to try smashing the blue hedgehog off. Just before one of the protruding roofs of the cave could scrape Sonic right off of the Newtron, he thankfully curled into his ball form as he started to turn into a buzzsaw.

Sonic's razor-sharp spines sliced right through as his circular-saw ball form went all around the Newtron's covering, carving every inch by inch of the Super Badnik until...

"Better luck never, gecko-head!" Sonic taunted, progressing to skip right off before slamming his entire body against one of the protruding spikes, "OOF! Okay, failed that one...oww-"

***SMASH***

Sliding a bit down before his gloved hands clutched onto the tip of the spike, Sonic's eye pupils began to bulge out of shock and surprise at what he saw.

"Oooh, crap!" Sonic cursed himself, noticing that he must have forgotten something.

The Newtron was toppling a few caves ruins, hanging over a splurting batch of lava coming from beneath.

"**CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP!**" Sonic cursed himself over and over again, almost forgetting all about Sally's friend and the tiny critters captive inside the broken-down Super Badnik.

The speedy hero rushed over to strive on rescuing the captive critters, and whoever Sally's friend was inside the nearly destroyed Super Badnik. Sonic shielded his eyes because the heat was hurting them but looked again, seeing the lava just starting to melt the top half of the gigantic Newtron.

During Sonic's struggle to figure out a plan to buzzsaw where the bottom half remains...

***BONK-BONK***

...a sudden thrash noise came from down there.

"_That has to be it!_" Sonic yelled out in his mind, clenching his fists.

And with that, he converted into a blue-spinning buzzsaw that dashed across and split through around the metallic surface. By the time Sonic almost became finished, and with barely enough time as the lava was starting the engulf the top half, a robotic-armed fist came and punched the bottom covering off with Sonic included.

"WOWZERS!" exclaimed Sonic in midair, turning himself again before he landed on his hands and feet.

Abruptly, various numbers of woodland critters were escaping their imprisonment in a great fright. Finally, a shadowy captive to use its robotic hand and sprung out of the bottom's opening, leaving the Super Badnik completely under the lava before anything unfortunate happened. With a loud thud, the Mobian-shaped figure landed inches close to where Sonic stood, catching him off-guard before hearing a heavy southern accent with a soft feminine charm to it.

"Hoo-Wee," the female Mobian breathed in relief, standing up to dust herself off, "For a second, I almost felt I was gonna' get trawled into nothin' back there! Well, good thing I was able to get each those tiny-sized critters outta' that whaddya-call-it, and...oh?"

To what Sonic could catch on, she was a female rabbit who serves as a real trooper of the Freedom Fighters. She had pale-gold fur, a snowy muzzle, and a pair of green eyes. Her eyelids are mostly violet, while her right ear often flops. The female rabbit also has a small curl of hair topped to her head in between the ears.

In a sharp and striking difference, however, half of the rabbit's body was robotized, with both her left arm and legs being mechanical. Plus, her flesh-and-blood arm wore a white glove. Her upper torso was fitted perfectly with a pink heart-shaped leotard that almost seemed too small for her large bust to contain.

The female rabbit's metallic arm served as her superior weapon in combat, doubling her physical prowess to others, and was close-fitting with a small sphere-shaped orb. The metal fixture was excellent in expanse, moving down to the legs, allowing enough in terms of balance. Just like any rabbit would, she looked like she could now achieve excessive leaps of faith with spring-like leg appliances, continuously handy for any of those getaway states of affairs.

Not only was this southern belle female incredibly charming and dazzling, but she also looked like a kick-ass force of nature.

While Sonic looked at the female rabbit in a state of relief that she was okay alongside the rest of the critters, he also got shook that she was half-cyborg due to robotization that must have occurred way before elsewhere.

Before Sonic could say anything at all, the female rabbit beats him to it with a smile, "Howdy, Sugar! The name's Bunnie O'Hare, and I can't thank 'ya enough for savin' my skin back there in that giant clodhopper."

The two then smiled as they both exchanged one another with a handshake, showing much of their appreciation for each other's help.

"Oh, well, it's no problem! The name's Sonic, by the way. I'm always glad to help those in need of the hedgehog's assistance." Sonic replied, smirking a bit until he almost frowns at the sight of Bunnie's robotic parts.

By the time Bunnie's attention notices Sonic's gaze upon her limbs, she slowly began to grimace, as if the southern belle was offended by him staring at her like that.

"It's my limbs, isn't it?" she said, her tone becoming disappointed.

Sonic's quills began to jolt in a stammer while waving his hands around speedily, "No, I-uh. I didn't mean to look like that, Bunnie! I didn't, like, expected to rescue anybody who has been through. Well, that, of course! Seriously, though, I'm sorry if I-!"

But Bunnie cuts him off with a raised hand, still saddened, "I know what you meant, and it's okay, sug. I don't quite like talkin' about stuff like what had happened before all of this war and crud. I mean, they don't call me _Bunnie Rabbot_ for anything. Some would even prefer me that like it's an insult, but I try not to let any of that nonsense be the case for who I am."

Sonic, who continues to look at the half-cyborg powerhouse, felt some remorse for how Bunnie gets treated after her whole robotization process. The mere mention of that word has become nothing but a strain of painful memories for the speedy hedgehog, about Uncle Chuck, and Dr. Kintobor for that matter. He nervously scratches the back of his head, spiky blue quills ruffling from his gloved touch, but soon turns his attention back to Bunnie with a genuine smile that showed trust.

After all, if Bunnie here is a friend of Sally's, so is she to him too.

"Well, maybe sometimes to me, names like _Rabbot _could mean something _better _than plainly some simple insult from others. I mean, I wouldn't care much about you having those limbs myself because at least it didn't get to all of you entirely. It's thankful enough that you're still _you_, right?" Sonic spoke in a soft tone, along with a charming wink afterward.

From those words that Bunnie could gather, by somebody who she had just met moments ago, gave so much positivity in what her problems have become to her life. Without anything else better to say, Bunnie only smiled at Sonic's kind words of appreciation.

"Thanks for understandin', Sonic." Bunnie acknowledged sweetly.

"It's alright with me, Bunnie! And besides, I think you could kick some serious Butt-Nik with those limbs of yours." Sonic smirked as he tries to keep the rabbit girl's confidence up.

And it did, causing Bunnie to wave a hand with a smile, blushing pink, "Aww~ 'yer such a gentleman, Sugar-Hog."

Sonic began to chuckle a bit while tapping his foot from that nickname, "Seriously, I don't know where we all get these names from."

"Yeah, but we should get the heck out of dodge before something else like Robotnik comes snoopin' around," Bunnie suggested.

"Okay, okay. Come on, we gotta' go find where Sally is chasing off Ro-Butt-Nik somewhere!" Sonic nodded as he waved a hand to his new friend.

"Wait a minute! You know Sally-Girl?" Bunnie asked, becoming shocked at how Sonic knew her friend, "Didja know where she'd gone off?"

"Follow me, and we'll go find where she and Robotnik are!" Sonic declared, motioning Bunnie to follow him.

"Lead the way, Sugar-Hog!" Bunnie agreed with a nod.

With that said, both Sonic and Bunnie made their way to exit the scene to start racing across the dungeon, in search of where Sally went off to chase after Dr. Robotnik.

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._**


End file.
